


Among The Hawks And Doves

by Eirenei



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-02
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2017-11-13 09:25:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 69,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eirenei/pseuds/Eirenei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>:Love lurks in the most unusual places... Huh.. Who would have thought one of those places is an interrogation room?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Harry Potter, or the mentioned characters. But, I do own the story.
> 
> Shout out: Wah, that is something unusual, but well, I did promise something wit Harry and Ibiki one of my readers, so there it is. It is not complete, because I am just evil that way, but there will be a sequel... it just a hunch. /grins/.
> 
> Warnings: First, it's a SLASH – meaning Harry/Ibiki (ish spooked out-Frankenstein bunnies, I tell ya) – and there are descriptions of gore. So, if you can't stomach it – either of it, you are welcome to hightail out of here. Otherwise, enjoy!

 

* * *

_And fearless are the idiots  
Among the hawks and doves  
We're on the outside looking in  
A couple of freaks in love_

_(Elton John – Freaks in Love)_

* * *

"Now... Will you tell me who sent you or do I have to use more... _drastic_ measures?" A gruff voice asked the form that was stretched across the cross.

The dungeon was... cold and dark and scented with pungent odours of iron, blood and, burnt flesh and something that could only be despair and pain.

The slouched form on the cross twitched.

"Fuck _. You."_ The prisoner snarled out weakly, his voice thin and ragged with absence of water and his vocal chords were likely damaged form the... after effects of hospitable stay in this dreary hole named interrogation chamber.

His captor sighed. This one was particularly unwilling one, which was all the more of a reason for him to break the prisoner as soon as possible.

However, he was intrigued by the man's resilience and past – for someone who was a civilian, the prisoner had amazingly high threshold for pain, and what was more, the interrogator suspected he had been a soldier, if the wounds on his... guest's... body were of any indication.

They had caught the man – teen, really – trying to sneak into the village, and because they were paranoid bunch of bastards – the recent kidnapping of Hyuuga Hinata wasn't helping the matters - the thief – or whoever the teen was, had been bundled off to the Interrogation Unit.

This was the third month since he had been brought here, and he was still going good, the torture notwithstanding.

He was some kind of a joke – and legend among the interrogators. No matter what they had done to him, no matter how painful, how crippling, no matter the mind-fuckery they engaged the so-called tough cookie in, he still did not bend. It frustrated and awed them at the same time. They had tried with Yamanaka, but the man was repelled from the teen's mind and had to spend a fortnight in hospital due to the injuries.

So the mental attacks were out. There remained only physical, and emotional. Physical, Anko had all the fun in the world with the man – snakes, salt in the wounds, pulling nails and the like, she even created a pair of new techniques, just from 'working' on the man.

And yet, he stayed silent.

The tall man looked at the ragged form. Such amount of deprivation from senses and exposure to some of the worst torture known to man had broken his body.

He was heavily scarred, and bleeding even now. There had been pain, and only pain, and he could sympathize with Cookie, as they called him. What had they done to him, even he would have broken under such torment, and yet, this youth stayed silent.

Oh, he screamed. He howled. He cried – but not even once, he begged for mercy.

"Why won't you speak?" He asked the prisoner. "You know – you could've spared yourself the torture and pain. You just have to tell me – "

A dry chuckle interrupted him. "No can do, bastard. I know your sort– if I agreed to sing my little heart out, there would be no guarantee that you would stop using the... incentive." The prisoner hacked, a dark, almost black blood colouring the deathly pale lips.

The interrogator's eyebrow twitched. Well, the stubborn fucker was right, at any rate.

The chains rattled.

* * *

Green eye looked into his dark orbs. A single orb – the other one, Anko tore out gleefully just three days ago. He fought a wince at the memory of that particular... occasion. He was hardened warrior, and he was an interrogator for a very long time – but this – this just seemed _wrong._

The gaunt face looked at him, marred with scars, one eyelid over the empty eye socket that was still bleeding heavily, despite the crude bandage, which now hung around the teen's neck like some mockery of a victory wreath – dirty, blooded and pungent.

Surprisingly, the teen still had his hair, but now, instead of being black, it was gray with white streaks mixed in. Cookie's face was like some kind of a grotesque mask, like papier-mâché one, hiding something behind it, and mesmerizing and disgusting the watcher with its unique brand of beauty. Ugly, even horrific beauty, but beauty just the same.

It was like watching butterfly without wings, or even wild cat in a small cage. Beautiful spirits, but with broken bodies.

"I don't like torturing you." He spoke out, his voice grave.

His prisoner snorted. "And I don't like to be tortured, but we can't have what we want all the time, can we?" he asked sardonically, making interrogator's lips twitch with grim amusement.

"Then why do you insist on not telling anything?" He asked wearily. He had asked this particular question so many times now, he was sick of those words. They did not change anything.

The silence settled between them, interspersed with the uneven and irregular breathing of the prisoner.

"I don't like being broken."

* * *

The whisper was so silent the interrogator had to strain - even with his superior hearing – to hear it.

' _I don't like being broken.'_

When he silently closed the doors of the Room number 13, those words echoed in his head.

' _I don't like being broken.'_

The same words he had told his captors so long ago.

What an irony.

* * *

To his surprise, they ceased to torture him. It should've been a relief, from the constant pain and whatnot, but he was wary, and expected for the other shoe to drop sometime. Because Fate was a bitch like that, and someone, named Harry James Potter hadn't been given lucky breaks only on a whim – there was always, always a catch somewhere in the writing.

The crazy snake bitch whined and pouted, of course, but he had glimpsed a look of relief somewhere deep in her eyes - so deep he doubted anyone else had seen it. They had a strange relationship. They taunted each other, sharp verbal jabs and whatnot, only that Anko had the possibility of exacting revenge on him without repercussions. She was like Bellatrix – only younger, saner and more bloodthirsty version. Not very reassuring combination, but what the hell – it was fun while it lasted. Not.

His wounds had been tended to, but he didn't know who had done the deed – it was one of those times he was unconscious, and the next time he was awake, he found himself in a clean, albeit cold and bare cell with thin cot and even thinner blanket. A luxury, comparing to those three months of agony, and with cold days coming – Harry suspected the winter would soon be there – it was better than nothing. He had been clothed into a soft, old threadbare sweatshirt that was a couple of times too big for him, but it beat being naked all the time.

He did not have any contacts with outside world, which was fine with him. Most of his days were spent in meditation and enforcing his mind shields. He could not do more, because his body was still healing, and this damn collar was still on. Sure, he had made some headway in chipping it, but it was tiring process, especially when nobody had seen the bloody thing. Magic was a wonderful thing, but in that instance, it was just a pain in the arse. Luckily, _Occlumency_ did not depend on magic, otherwise he would be a goner.

Therefore, his days passed in cold and silence.

* * *

He couldn't help but watch him. When he was not so wary, Cookie was curiously calm and desensitized to the isolation. Any other person would've gone mad, what with the silence and lack of human contact, but not Cookie.

He came to watch him, early in the morning or late in the night, but always when Cookie was asleep.

The teen was clothed in a threadbare gray sweatshirt that reached to his knees, curled into a small ball. He had to suppress a wince at Cookie's position – it should've been very painful, what with some of his bones still healing – he knew that from his own experiences, but the youth didn't have a care about that minor discomfort.

Dull gray and white hair was long now, reaching just under his shoulders. Someone had braided it, as to tame the wild feathery soft locks, but with minimal success, as some of the strands still escaped the braid. Wild and untamed even in captivity, just like their owner.

He was so innocent looking. If he hadn't knew better, he would have thought him to be ordinary teen, without care of the world, and not the stubborn hard arse that caused simultaneous feelings of like, dislike, awe and grudging respect across his division. Of course, Cookie didn't know that. But the interrogators respected him, and God forbid, some even liked him. Genuinely liked. They may be bloodthirsty maniacs in most of the cases, but they were still bleeding humans under the skin, and Cookie somehow managed to touch that part of them.

When Cookie had been brought here for the first time, they thought it would be easy as a pie, to break the slender boy. However, minutes passed, then hours, then days and nights, and they were no closer to the answer as they were on the day Cookie had been brought in their oh-so-gentle-care.

But him... For him, the boy held a special meaning. That defiant, wild spirit was something he loathed to break, and with each session, he had feared the youth would finally succumb to the torture. And he was – ironically enough – relieved, when the boy persisted, even when the torture techniques they had used on him were brought to inhuman heights.

Gently, he touched the locks of gray and white – never silver, just two distinct shades of colour mixing in. They were scraggly and warm, like a living thing, and involuntarily, he smiled at the sensation.

He didn't smile often.

So just how was this little prisoner managing to bring a smile on his face with such ease?

* * *

He twitched. He was aware. He was, for some time now. On the outside, he still pretended to be hurt more than he should have been, but when playing games with those people, he learned that he could never be too careful.

The days passed by. Slowly, he recovered – his health won't be perfect, after that horror of a interrogation trip, especially within those circumstances, but he would get by. And just a little time – just a little time, and he would be free of that blasted contraption of a collar. He could almost taste it.

And then, freedom, here we come.

But those dark eyes –

Yes.

Dark, unfathomable, and even scarier than Snape's, which was a feat all of its own. Those eyes that drilled into his lone orb – so dark, as if they were seeing into the depths of his soul. He had been tempted, many times, to just say fuck it and tell the man all the secrets, if it weren't for his stubborn nature.

The man was taller than him. Stronger than him, without doubt. When he had first saw him, Harry was half mad with pain and Anko was whining about something – using something or other – when he had stepped into the room, as if he owned it.

And there it was.

Harry didn't begrudge the man for torturing him, like he had begrudged Voldemort – the interrogator was just doing his job, no more, no less. Oh, he had antipathy for the other interrogators, especially for that Anko bitch, but not for him. Never for him.

It was strange that he could not loath the man who had taken from him so much.

He would miss him when he would be gone.

* * *

_Gone._

"What do you mean, _he's gone?"_ Ibiki's sharp voice cut through the tense silence.

"J – Just that, Ibiki-sama. H – He's gone. The cell is empty." The shinobi stuttered out, barely managing to avoid soiling his pants. Ibiki's killing intent rose.

"He was in the most secure block... and in the cell that sucks chakra out of the prisoner... and you are telling me he somehow managed to give us a mickey and hightailed out?" Anko snarled out, her eyes wild.

The rest of interrogators were similarly affected.

And spooked.

They knew the state the Cookie was in – it was virtually impossible to make an escape with the wounds he had. Somehow, the little blighter had managed to do the impossible.

And that meant the security of the complex – and consequently village – was flawed.

"What will we do, Ibiki-sama?" One of the Interrogators, Kagutsuchi, asked. He was smaller than Ibiki, with black hair in a low ponytail and red shades, clothed in standard interrogation uniform, He had fondness for knives and anything pointy.

"Should we report – "

"– No." Ibiki interrupted him. "This is our concern. And if Danzo finds out we have AWOL prisoner, the situation will be FUBAR before we'd know it." The listeners grimaced or winced. If the Danzo found out about Cookie... it wouldn't be good. And if the old war hawk got a hold of him... just thinking about that, it gave Ibiki the willies. To have a person who could break in anywhere, at any time on his disposal... Danzo would be creaming his pants with delight at the possibilities.

"We'll catch him. And, everyone..." Ibiki paused.

"Not a word about Cookie to anyone. Understood?"

The chorus of 'aye's' later, they scattered.

And prisoners were wondering why their interrogators were more vicious as usual that day.

* * *

**_Dictionary_ **

**_AWOL_** \- **A** bsence **W** ithout **O** fficial **L** eave - in that care, Harry escaped.

 ** _FUBAR_** \- **F** ucked **U** p **B** eyond **A** ll **R** eason - the situation or mission is... well, fucked up.

**_/To Be Continued/_ **


	2. Unintentional meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter or the lil' bit of lyrics here; they belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own this little story.
> 
> Shout Out: Yes, yes and yes. This is the continuation of the one-shot in Scrapbook Jewels, Among the Hawks and Doves. It's finally out, and hopefully, I will have the time and motivation to kick the story into high gear sometime soon, as I finally managed to solve my computer's hiccups with adding new hard drive in. Had to reload all the programs, so excuse me for tardiness.
> 
> Warnings: The pairing will be Harry/Ibiki, meaning it will be SLASH. All the non – believers, keep your pretty little paws away! That was your last warning. Otherwise, enjoy!

 

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE - Unintentional meeting**

_We're just freaks in love_   
_Saints above_   
_Shine on our sweet life_   
_Happy is the union_   
_Of fools and freaks alike_

_(Elton John - Freaks In Love)_

* * *

" _Hah... Hah..._ They'll never catch me... Losers..." A blonde-haired boy panted out as he was hiding in the shadows, his blue eyes slitted with mischief. He was clad in white T – shirt with orange spiral and blue pants with sandals. He was small, some five to six years old, and... The jailor to the mightiest tailed beast, Kyuubi Of course, the blonde menace didn't have the faintest clue about that. Or better, that clue bus missed him by miles. So, for some reason, the villagers of Konoha hated him – with some rare exceptions.

The boy's bright grin dimmed slowly. As fun as it was to prank the temes, he was still lonely. He didn't have any friends, and –

"OW!" The fox-boy yelped out indignantly, as he tripped over a... hand?

Bright blue eyes widened with horror.

"AAH! A ZOMBIE! HELP!" He wailed out as the hand twitched as to grab him.

He scuttled back hurriedly, not caring about his pursues anymore. Heck, he would take the bastards any day, over this ... this zombie!

The 'zombie' coughed wetly.

The boy blinked. Zombies don't cough... do they? He cautiously looked over the ... zombie.

Dually toned hair, gaunt face, clad in drab-looking garments...

The boy blinked. "Whoa, they messed you good," He commented dumbly. The person didn't answer him.

The boy's nose scrunched up at the smell of the blood and some faintly musty scent he'd come to associate with old, drab and dusty buildings. "Ewww..." the boy complained, disgustedly. "You stink!" He groaned out, pouting. The person didn't answer.

"Well... bye, mister!" The fox-boy said hastily. He scrambled up, ready, willing and able to skitter away.

Then, he paused. Was it really right to leave Zombie – san here? It looked like he really needed help and with his luck... the blond bit his lip, as he furtively glanced at the motionless heap. Then, he decided.

"Giddy up, Zombie-san," he grabbed the person's ... clothes as to drag him along. To his surprise, Zombie – san actually wasn't as heavy as one would expect from a grown man. "My name is Naruto, and I'll take care of you!" the boy exclaimed – well, more like grunted out. "Believe it!"

Little did the fox-boy know that his one act of kindness would change his whole life...

* * *

Naruto was watching the... man anxiously. He had managed to clean and bandage the man's wounds adequately enough; along with giving Zombie-san water, but that was all he could do for the guy. This time, Naruto was lucky enough that his apartment was left alone for some reason, but Naruto didn't question his sudden bout of good luck too much. He was too busy with taking care of Zombie – san.

Even his growling and groaning tummy was set aside for Zombie – san and that, for Naruto, was THE ultimate sacrifice, regarding his love of ramen.

* * *

 _Dark._ It was dark. Nothing new. Except... he was covered with a threadbare blanket that smelled strongly of... _Soup?_ Whoever was the owner, they had to literally bathe in the stuff for the scent to be so strong. And it smelt of a... kid?

Even more curious.

When he had tried to open his eyes – an eye now, as his... other one was _disposed_ of, clinically speaking, he winced at the light. It was weak one, but still, to him, it felt as if someone poked his brains by means of hot, sharp needle via his eye.

He groaned. Whoever invented light was one seriously evil son of a bitch that needed to be _Cruccioed_ for eternity and then some. However slowly, he cautiously opened his eye again and blinked owlishly.

Well, hell. It seemed that his escapade had been successful. At least he didn't think that his captors would waft in a soup scent – or whatever it was.

"You're awake!" A loud voice prompted him to wince.

* * *

He glared at the owner of that obnoxiously loud voice. "Pipe it down, would you?" He hissed out, glaring at the boy. "I hear you perfectly clearly without you shouting in my ear!"

The boy – because it was the boy – flinched as if he werer hit.

Green eye narrowed. He knew that behaviour. All too well, because he had gone through it on many occasions himself.

The kid was abused, and probably an orphan, too.

Groaning, Harry massaged his temple. "Water?" The boy offered timidly, his voice thankfully hushed now.

The dual – haired man nodded. "Please." He croaked out. The boy brightened. "I'll be right back!" He exclaimed, scrambling on his feet and dashing away. A moment later he was back, with white cup in his hands and beaming at his guest.

Zombie-san simply nodded as he received the cup. Naruto watched him drink the contents sip by sip, with a measured elegance as if he were not a simple commoner, but rather a high-born noble. The light from the fire danced on the man's face, making it seem like some bird of prey one time, and the next, the shadows remoulded the lines to show vulpine features. It made Naruto awed and wary of the man. The one eye the man had was a startling green colour – deep emerald one, but glowing with a sinister light that made Naruto's stomach curl with dread.

Just who – or what was Zombie-san really?

* * *

"Are you done gawking?" The man asked him dryly. Naruto startled out of his musings. "I – I'm sorry, Zombie – san!" He squeaked out."It's just – you are really really cool!"

The man snorted."Zombie – san?" he asked dryly. "Well, it fits, I suppose. " His lips quirked up slightly. "Now, who are you and where are we?"

The whisker – cheeked boy blushed. "Um, well, I'm Uzumaki Naruto and we're in my apartment in Konoha." He waited for a reaction at his name, but he got none, which both relieved him and made him suspicious.

* * *

At the name of Konoha, the man's eye narrowed slightly in a thought. "Hm..." Harry hummed at the unwelcome revelation.

Well, hell, that wasn't his finest moment – but Apparating took energy after getting that contraption of death trap off his neck. Add that to recovery from pleasant – _not_ – conversations with his... interrogators, and casting notice-me-not charms after his stunt... and it was a safe bet that even he, with his formidable reserves, was more than a bit taxed out.

Sighing, he closed his eye. "So you're the one who nursed me back to health." He muttered, nodding at Naruto.

The mentioned boy blushed, fidgeting in his seat. "Uh..." I did what I could, mister." The kid admitted shyly. He started as a hand landed on his head, ruffling his golden spikes of hair fondly. "You did more than good, kid," Zombie – san said gruffly, making him squeak at the praise like some certain wallflower of a Hyuuga heiress.

Really, Naruto wasn't praised often, so he soaked this little bit of attention in for as long as he could. Zombie-san was scary, but the fox-boy felt drawn to him for some reason.

' _Was that like when their dads praised them?'_ He wondered to himself silently. Sure, Hokage-jiji praised him too, but it was very few and far between occasions. Naruto felt more like a pet than anything else.

But this man... with just a few words, he made Naruto shy and at the same moment so proud that he felt as if he would burst with happiness.

He immediately felt a loss when the hand retreated. The hand was pale, almost skeletal, but calloused and warm. Still a little weak from whatever the man had gone through, but Naruto had a hunch that his guest was fairly strong, despite his frail appearance.

* * *

Harry sighed. The boy looked at him with huge adoring blue eyes, and it made him uncomfortable for some reason. He was reminded of those years, when he was young and innocent – better yet, naive enough to believe.

However, war changed all of it. He had to grow up quickly, courtesy of one meddlesome coot and the sheeple that followed him. In the end, it was almost too late, what with the old man's idealistic views of _"Greater Good"_ and _"Love will save us all."_ Harry had been trained by some of the best – Moody, Kingsley , Snape and – you wouldn't believe it – Lucius Malfoy himself. In three years, he had thrown himself into learning of Dark Arts, he came to know the good, the bad, the ugly and the really disgusting. Dumbledore protested, of course, but Harry was unmovable on that point. You fight fire with fire, if you want to have at least modicum of success. Lupin disapproved, but only until his mate, one Nymphadora Tonks was wounded in one of the skirmishes. Then, he approved of the use of _"Dark"_ curses wholeheartedly. He even embraced his inner wolf in process, making the transformation virtually painless and causing terror and havoc among the ranks of Death Eaters with his form.

His friends – Harry grimaced at the memory – were not so... glibly – minded. In fact, Ron accused him of being evil, and Hermione disapproved of his doings from principle. She still stayed, though, as a support and healing. Harry lost the count of her sermons when she was putting him back together after one or another of his foolish stunts.

However, she was invaluable when it came to using of Muggle technology in the counterfeit effort. Voldemort and his cronies didn't know what hit them, when Harry used two magically modified Sig Sauers to shot pretty little holes into their skulls. Voldemort may have had a superior knowledge of Dark Arts, but Harry evened the field with use of bombs, explosives and use of Muggle warfare techniques and weapons.

In the end, it had been manslaughter. Harry and the Order, along with the Aurors the Ministry managed to scavenge for the operation – crashed in Voldemort's base of operations and from then on, it was each man - or woman – for themselves. Harry was in the middle of the fray, working like a well-oiled battle machine. He was swift, unpredictable and utterly merciless to his enemies.

Sadly, they managed to get him off guard. He had just killed Voldemort, and some Ministry flunkies – who were cowering behind the back of those who indeed were doing their work – jumped him, collared him with the thrice – damned collar and whisked him away to the Department of Mysteries, where he was unceremoniously pushed through the Veil.

That explained why he didn't make the warmest impression of harmlessness on his subsequent captors. He was still bloody – his own blood and the blood of his enemies, and with him being as twitchy as he was...

It was just disaster waiting to happen.

Now, he was here, with some kid making googlies at his person, not knowing anything about where he landed and what were his enemies able to do.

Silently, he cursed the loss of his weapons.

Not that it mattered, but... when you spend literally days without going anywhere with at least one gun and a pair of knives attached on your person... you feel really, really naked, when you don't have some kind of a weapon on your person.

Harry huffed out, irritated. He would have to begin anew... Again. He wasn't excited at the prospect, because it promised to be one bloody hard road to walk – if he expected he would have at least some modicum of peace, he had been sorely mistaken. Now, he was in proverbial snake's nest, practically naked – aside from some garments he wore, with no weapon besides his magic, and undoubtedly, his... _opponents_ were already searching for him. For a moment, a picture of dark orbs flashed in his mind, making his eyebrow twitch with irritation.

' _Yes. The bastard would gather a searching party after my butt',_ Harry thought about Ibiki sourly. _'However, let's see what I do know about my new... opponents. Their torture techniques are... excellent,'_ He twitched at the memory _'- and they are scarily paranoid. So it would be safe to assume that I landed somewhere where reigns either dictatorship or they are in state of war.'_ His lone eye blinked. _'Though later is not probable... but maybe they had some kind of a conflict going on...'_

He sighed. _'They don't know about magic, but they DO know about this... chakra thing. It may or may not be the same thing, but I doubt it. Their... creepy-eyed accomplice, Hyuga or something didn't see the collar, after all.'_

Absentmindedly, he placed the empty glass on the floor. _'First thing, I have to do... disguise_. ' He didn't have a doubt that they knew about his appearance. Once again, he curses his vivid green eyes. Or eye, now. The colour was unmistakable, and even if he disguised himself, his eyes were the only thing that stubbornly refused to be changed, no matter what. He sighed. He still felt weak, but that was no surprise. He used his last reserves of magic to transport himself out of the cell – thankfully, no guards were deployed to it, meaning they thought him harmless or at least not worth their attention... for now. Although he had been wondering, just why they had such a... change of heart, to leave him alone, and even giving him his cell – but he would bet they tried with age-old carrot-stick approach. And solitary confinement - for a human being – could become incredibly tedious after a while.

But not for him. He was used to it - at first from Dursleys, then at Hogwarts, and lastly, when he had been trained in Dark Arts. Both Lucius and Severus conditioned him to any kind of pressure they thought he could be put under – even if that drove Harry to brink of insanity sometimes. However, if he ever found his way back, Harry swore to thank the bastards... their advice and mind techniques saved his life, now even more than ever.

He sighed. The small movement at his side alerted him to his... host.

* * *

He looked at the kid, immediately noticing that he was small and trembling slightly. Blinking slowly, Harry noticed that the room was fairly cold, and kid was clothed in clothes that put his own threadbare, Dursley – procured garments, to shame. "What the hell, kid... you are practically freezing! " He muttered out. "Do you have nothing else to warm you up?"

The boy flinched. "I – I – "That small, meek voice cut Harry's cold heart more than any torture should. "Uh... They cancelled the electry kitty..." The boy shuffled, uncomfortable with the subject. Harry blinked. _'Electry... kitty? Electric kitty?'_ His brain was confused for a moment. "You mean... electricity? Whatever for?" He was honestly baffled. The kid nodded, yellow hair glinting in the light. "Dinna have money to pay..." Naruto whispered, ashamed.

* * *

The man looked at his seriously. "So you are left out to fend for yourself..." He muttered. Naruto nodded mutely, looking at the man's hands.

"Get in, brat." Naruto's head shot up at the gruff command. Blue eyes widened as he looked at the man's grim face. "B – But-!" He tried to protest. "You need it more, Zombie-san!" Green eye looked at him sternly, making him quail slightly under the heavy gaze.

"At the expense of you freezing to death?" The man asked him flatly. "No can do, kid. Now stop protesting and crawl under the cover. I don't want to be responsible if you get hypothermia on my account. "

Naruto still stared. He wanted to, but... he was still wary. The man seemed to notice it. "Look, " Zombie-san said with heavy sigh. "I won't do anything to you – I just want you to warm up. So get in already! You can complain tomorrow or whenever the heck we will get up!" He snapped out impatiently, making the kid promptly scurry under the blanket.

The contact was... Strange. For both of the parties. For Harry, it was one after a long time that wasn't threatening in any way, shape or form, and for Naruto... well, he didn't remember ever sleeping in close contact with anybody. As far as he knew – and remembered, Naruto was always alone. The only affection he received was from Hokage – jijii, and the ramen chef and his daughter. Everyone else... was distant. Cold. Their eyes were cool, marred with darkness toward him. Even the children, after their parents explained them, that the whisker – cheeked boy was no good, avoided him as if he were some kind of a plague.

And so, being pressed against the body of a living person was... Odd. Terrifying. Naruto expected that at any time, Zombie-san would change his mind – would swat him away, or worse, strangle him for his impudence, even if Zombie-san freely offered the sparse lodgings to him. He was tense – so terribly tense that it hurt.

He flinched as the hand weaved among his spiky locks. He felt a deep sigh expanding the bound chest slowly. "Go to sleep, brat," The murmur hummed through Naruto's body as he heard the softly voiced command. "Sleep."

Slowly, so very slowly, the tiny body relaxed and snuggled in the warmth of the slender, almost skinny man. Naruto snuffled slightly as he hesitantly nuzzled into the flat chest, inhaling the scent of darkness, wind and Ramen. It was curious, even an odd one, but one he would come to associate with safety, if he hadn't already. The steady beats of heart under his cheek made him sleepy and at least little bit more trustful. After all, nobody who would contemplate murder would have such a calm heartbeat...

Would they?

* * *

Harry looked at the whisker-cheeked boy that was snoozing on his chest. The brat was sleeping like a log, especially after Harry reassured him that he was safe. That thin body against his reminded the green eyed man of himself – of those long, dark days when he was still at Dursleys, when he still pleaded for someone to come and take him away from his relatives.

Naruto was small, skinny and now at least bit warm – warmer, at any rate, before he had crawled under the threadbare blanket.

The lone eye narrowed in contemplation. Something wasn't right here... Naruto was an orphan that much he knew. He lived alone in an apartment – meaning that something – or someone prevented him being in orphanage. And with Naruto's ... little escapade of distrust, he would bet that people here ostracized him for... something. When Naruto introduced himself, Harry noticed that the boy waited to be reprimanded, or anything, and that he was confused why Harry didn't react to his name.

Sighing, Harry rubbed his fingers against his left temple. It made his head ache when he thought about all... _That._ He was in an unknown territory, he had no allies, no weapons, no knowledge, and he was hunted as sure as he knew the sun was rising, and to the top of it all, only he could stumble on an orphaned version of himself. Grimacing, he looked at his surroundings.

The room wasn't anything special. Dark, drab and damp – and Harry resolved to repair that just...after ... he... got... better. His eye grew heavy with exhaustion and a moment later, he was sleeping, his arms curled around the little golden – haired boy protectively.

* * *

He was warm. Comfortable. _Safe_. He snuggled into that comforting feeling, smiling to himself. ' _Is that what the cloud nine feels like?'_ He wondered to himself sluggishly. He nuzzled deeper into that warmth, It was warm and thick and fluffy and... just so good.

He stretched himself without a care, a small smile hovering on his lips. He didn't want to leave that little bit of safe haven he had just found, but –

His nose wiggled slightly, before he scrunched his face in preparation of a grim reality.

The eyelids opened, revealing the silvers of blue eyes – the blues tones, only comparable to the cloudless summer sky.

He blinked. He was tucked in deep green and black covers he was sure he didn't have among his meagre belongings. The covers were thick and soft and warm, making the boy's eyes widen disbelievingly as he rubbed his eyes in his disbelief.

"A – Am I dreaming? Am I dead?" He asked softly, almost fearfully. His small chest tightened with the possibility, but one look at the drab walls assured him that he was still alive... Somewhat.

The light that seeped in the small apartment was gloomy, but the smells from the kitchen were not.

Cautiously, whisker – cheeked boy padded to the small kitchenette, dragging the covers along. He didn't want to leave warmth behind after all.

Blue eyes widened as he saw the... intruder in front of the small stove he was sure it was broken.

Obviously he was mistaken, as the man was cooking... something, and it made Naruto's mouth water with hunger.

But he held back as he observed his unexpected... houseguest.

It was a man. A rail thin man who was clad in black trousers and faded gray turtleneck, with wild dual – toned hair done in a messy ponytail. He moved quietly and deftly, reminding Naruto of a slender cat.

The man turned, looking at the boy, who froze on the spot. "So you are finally up and about," The man said. "His voice was still gravely, like grinding of small stones against each other. One green eye looked down at the stupefied boy calmly, while the other was covered with black eye patch.

"Z – Zombie-san?" Naruto finally blurted out. Or more accurately, squeaked out.

The man's lips stretched in a brief smile. "In the flesh," he agreed dryly. "Breakfast is ready."

* * *

Harry had to bit back a chuckle at Naruto's imitation of a gaping goldfish. It was so worth it to get up a little earlier and use some of his... magic.

* * *

**_/FLASHBACK/_ **

At first; Harry was doubtful he would still have an adequate access to his reserves – the collar had been a bitch to get off, and with him having no wand... well, he honestly didn't expect much. However, he tried - just for the kick of it – meditating, and to his surprise, his core was as radiant as ever, even if it was a little smaller than he was used it to be, but that was understandable. It would take some time for his core to expand again to its' previous dimensions, because he had exerted a significant amount of power to get the leash off, and to heal his body as good as he could. He, however was surprised that he was more... in tune with his core. It wasn't up to what he could perform with his wand, but it was more than he had before all that mess had started. Snape would have been happy that his hypothesis was... correct, in a sense.

Harry was relieved. He wasn't completely defenseless, after all.

The first thing he had done, was to change the drab covers into something more appropiate for the weather and the kid. And to his mute excitement, it was done. Maybe not in a flash, as it should have had, but Harry was just happy he was at least somewhat armed, if the fucking morons that called themselves shinobi came after him. An evil smirk stretched his thin lips. _'Well, in that case...'_

Harry wasn't known as a Chimera for nothing. This alias was given to him by his unique fighting style – he resembled the mythical animal with his Gryffindor thickheadedness and Slytherin cunning, and even if he wouldn't have admitted it aloud, a dash of Ravenclaw cleverness. He was not up to Hermione's sheer brainiac power, nor he was as good as Ron was in tactics, but he trumped both of his friends in sheer power and thinking out of the box. He was the one who suggested to use Muggle warfare tactics when the things in Wizarding World went south, he was the one who haggled with Goblins and Vampires, and he was the one who stood eye to eye with Banshees and Giants... just to name a few of species.

Chimera - the nickname was given to him by Severus Snape, and somehow, the Order allies picked up on it and called Harry by that nickname. Every time there was a raid by the forces of Dark Idiot, Chimera was there, forcing the Death Eaters to suffer heavy losses and to retreat. It was a known fact – whoever dared to square with Chimera - that particular fool wouldn't live for long. It was not the question _if_ the fool would die – it was only the question of _when_ the idiot would be pushing the daisies.

* * *

When they caught him, Harry was tired, bloody and disoriented enough to be easily subdued – especially when he wasn't familiar with the techniques his captors used. But now, he was ready, willing and able to lever the field... and the dumbasses wouldn't know what hit them.

He silently detangled himself off of his little golden – haired leech and inspected his wounds. Grimacing slightly at the sheer number of the scars, he coulnd't help but dread the cold weather. Some of the wounds he had received in his later skirmishes with Death Munchers were particularly sensitive to the temperature changes of the weather, and so, his friends joked that Harry was a living and breathing weather forecast, much to Harry's dismay. It didn't help he was always accurate...much to his friends and allies amusement and his chagrin.

However, the latest set of his... acquisitions had healed relatively well, and with a small grunt, Harry rerouted a pulse of magic through his body to speed the process a little bit more. Rationally, he shouldn't have done that, what with him having already used relatively big chunk of magic yesterday, but he ignored the discomfort in favor of having to prepare for eventual meeting with his purusuers. It wouldn't do to be caught as easily as a newborn kitten again, would it?

He grimaced at the feling, before he quicky transfigured his clothes into black and gray ensemble, before he padded into the small kitchenette to look for something to eat. He was hungry, and he had no doubt that kid would be too, once when he would wake up.

The kitchenette was small. A stove, a fridge beside the stove, and small closet for dishware above thi sink and pipe that were positively ancient.

When he reaided for anything edible, Harry was disappointed. The kid had some kind of a dried soup packets, some vegetables and fruit and an expired bottle of milk, with a couple of eggs.

His eyebrow twitched.

That would be the next thing to change. The kid was eating unhealthily already, and if that continued, Naruto would grow up into a midget. A lamentable, and horrifying prospect of future.

Sighing, he pondered over what to do with the ingredients he had on hand.

In the end, he decided to make a vegetable stir fry, with fruit smoothie as a dessert. It was a pathetic attempt at best, but it would be better than nothing.

**/END FLASHBACK/**

* * *

He heard the kid shuffle to the kitchenette. _'Felt '_ would be more accurate, but his ears were every bit as sharp as they had been prior to his new... adventure in that strange land.

He looked at the tousled golden head, and couldn't help but smile at the gaping expression on the kid's face. "In the flesh," He agreed amiably. "Breakfast is ready."

* * *

Naruto gaped. This was a dream, wasn't it? It as not real – that somenone cooked a breakfast just for him. He blinked, but the man already turned back to the stove.

"Wash your face and hands," the man instructed him softly. "Then you can eat." Cautiously, and still a little dazed, the small boy did that. "Um- what is that?" He asked hesitantly as he wiggled up onto the chair, which was still a little too high for him to properly sit down on it. Zombie san sighed. "It's a vegetable stir fry," he explained. "I noticed you gave that dried packets of noodles to eat – seriously kid, if you only eat those, you will remain a midget for life." Naruto twitched. "But Ramen is a god of food!" he whined, making dark eyebrow arch slightly. "I like that stuff!" he pouted petulantly.

Harry snorted. "You will have plenty of time to suffer through army rations of food," he remarked dryly. "Believe, me, there is no worse thing than that."

Bright blue eyes snapped from the stir fry back to Zombie-san. "You were in army? Really? What was it like? Were you strong?"

The questions literally flew out of kid's mouth, before he began stuffing his face with the stir fry. "Mmh! Ith Isth ghood!" He commented, with full mouth. Harry nodded. "Thanks. Don't talk with full mouth, it is offensive." The boy gulped the food down. "Offensive?" He asked cerulean eyes wide. Harry nodded. "It's bad manners, because nobody likes to see just what are you eating. Try closing your mouth and chewing. The food won't go anywhere."

Naruto scowled. "Hafta to eat quick..." he mumbled. "Dun' have a choice." Green eyes closed for a moment at the child's comment.

"Right here, and right now, you don't need to." Harry countered calmly. The kid eyed him warily, but complied. "Well?" The kid asked, blue eyes bright with questions.

Harry blinked. _'So much about sidetracking him, huh?'_ He pondered, half-amused and half – frustrated. He sighed. "In a manner of speaking, "he replied shortly. When Naruto opened his mouth to ask more, he was stopped by the green-eyed glare. "I don't want to speak about it, kid. Drop it."

Naruto pouted. "You're not cool." He grumbled, as he finished his heap. The man then gave him a glass with some dark red liquid sloshing in.

Naruto's nose twitched slightly. "Um... what is it?" He asked cautiously. "Blood?" he eyed the contents of the glass warily, as if they had evil intentions of devouring him when he wasn't careful. Harry snorted. "No. It's a fruit smoothie. Drink up, kid." Naruto growled. "No."

The man stared at him. "Why not?" He asked. The fox-boy pouted. "Dun' like fruits. They're awful. Smell bad. Taste worse."

Zombie-san sighed. "Try it." He suggested flatly. "If you still don't like it, then leave it. " The fox-boy stared at him for a moment, before he smiled mischievously. Harry felt a ball of dread curl in his stomach at the sight of that foxy face. Naruto was up to something, he just knew it.

"Tell me about... your eye." He smiled a sunny smile. "And I will drink that icky stuff."

Zombie-san stiffened. For a moment, Naruto feared that he would be hit. But surely Zombie-san wouldn't be so mean ... Would he?"

They stared at each other for a minute. Lone green orb in dual cerulean ones. The silence between them stretched uncomfortably, until Naruto was nervous enough to resign himself to drinking the icky stuff without complaints.

Finally, Zombie-san chuckled. It was a dark chuckle, making Naruto shiver with dread, and reminding him that he knew nothing of the man he currently housed in his meagre apartment.

"You've got balls, kid," Zombie-san sneered out. "To demand like that...However, this time, I'll let it go, because you are a greenhorn who doesn't know better." He paused.

"It was interrogation." Naruto blinked. "Huh?" He asked dumbly. The man snorted at him. "Are you dumb as well as deaf?" He demanded, making the whisker – cheeked boy flinch. "Your answer. It was interrogation. And that is all I am willing to tell you."

He stormed out of the room, leaving the shaking Naruto on his chair.

* * *

Naruto gulped. He eyed the glass warily, still not sure if he wanted to drink the icky fruits. But the deal was a deal, and he scrunched his face in determined grimace and took a sip of the stuff. Blue eyes widened as he tasted cool, smooth texture that caressed his tongue. There were raspberries, a hint of apples and strawberries and lemon with a dash of ingver.

' _That was delicious!_ ' Naruto thought in excitement. _'Wonder if Zombie-san would make me another...'_ Then, he winced at the memory of his whining.

He had obviously trodden on some ... unsavoury... memories when he stupidly asked that question.

"Sakura-chan was right... I am a baka," The boy muttered to himself forlornly, as he hung his head.

Zombie-san was nothing but kind to him, and what had Naruto done? He behaved like ungrateful, spoiled brat.

'What should I do?' He questioned himself. He cringed as he thought of solution.

Find Zombie-san and apologize.

* * *

Harry busied himself with meditation. He shouldn't have snapped at the kid, but Naruto had an irritating habit of troding on Harry's painful spots without care. True, the kid didn't know better, but still!

The green – eyed man huffed with irritation. It was not a good idea to stay with the kid. He would've been driven to madness in no time by the blond idiot who had permaninet mouth-in –foot disease.

After deciding that, Harry snapped up Notice-me-Not charm and changed his hair in dull brown color before striding out of the small room. He had to kick asses, names to take and a job to do.

* * *

For once, Naruto was not his usually sunny self. The villagers noticed that, and were inexplicably satisfied. Usually, Naruto would try to antagonize them, by playing pranks and the like, but for once, the blond ball of sunshine was quietly moping in his little corner in the school, making virtually no trouble for anyone and sending his usual preys in paranoid tizzy,

Not even Sakura – chan got a rise out of him, which lifted hopes of certain Hyuuga heiress and raised curiousity of quiet Aburame heir.

He didn't ask any questions. He didn't announce he would be a Hokage. Not even once! And when there was a recess, he didn't wolf down his usual packet of instant ramen...

At the end of the day even Kiba was concerned. For fox-face to be so serious, it was unheard of, and he just couldn't understand. It was as if somenone died – but fox-face didn't have anyone, did he?

So they decided to follow the little enigma to find out just what was gnawing at the loudmouth.

* * *

He had no trouble sneaking back to the IT building. It was pathetically easy. In fact, Harry had to wonder if those people were really the famed ninjas he had heard so much about.

There was still a buzz about his disappearance, and the security was upped, but changed features and Notice-me-Not charm worked without a hitch.

Now, he just had to find his little toys, and he would be off...

Gulping slightly, he headed into the dark corridor.

 _'To go where the brave dared not to go,'_ His mind commented mockingly. Harry twitched. Just once in his life, he would like things to go his way.

Was that to much to ask for?

... Obviously. All the hardest tasks were reserved for one poor bastard named Harry James Potter.

The scent didn't change. It was darkness, cold dried and freshly spilled blood and a faint scent of disinfectant. It reminded Harry of hospitals, which almost made him ill.

He never liked being in hospitals; in his opinion, hospitals differed from torture chambers only on colour scheme and whether or not were you given painkillers before they butchered your body up.

He thanked all the deities he had magic – with his luck, it was a good thing for him to have, because it managed to heal his body and shorten his already numerous stays in Hospital Wing when he had been at Hoghwats, and later on, his allies learned that not on their lives, Harry would have gone in anything even resembling Hospital willingly. That of course led to rows with Snape and Malfoy Senior, but Mad Eye heartily approved of his star pupil's paranoia, even going so far as to gift his with Bottomless Bottle of Firewhisky. Molly, of course, was scandalised, but Harry didn't care about the woman's opinions. Mrs Weasley was a great mother, but she was not a war leader, and Harry somethimes truly needed some alcohol to pull him through all the shit Voldemort managed to crap out of his skinny snake arse.

But enough of that. It had been done and gone over with, and right now, Harry had more important things to to than just reminsicing about his woeful years with Lord Scaldyworth himself.

Namely, getting his things back.

Grimacing, he massaged his temple.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Harry stiffened.

' _Time to put my acting skills to test,_ ' He thought to himself grimly.

He would need them, if he wanted to leave with his skin intact.

He was staring in the face of Scarface himself – the feared Morino Ibiki.

He turned his head. "Greetings, Morino – san." He began calmly. "The guys from R&D sent me to collect the stuff from that guy – Ogata Kouga, was it?"

* * *

Ibiki watched the stranger. He was simple and unassuming – not exactly the shady sort, but not outstanding looking either. He had mousy brown hair and dull blue eyes, as if he was tired of running errands for that crazy department.

He nodded slowly. "Hm... Yes, I remember. So what are they up to now?" He asked as he motioned the man to follow him.

The pair set off in a brisk pace, Harry almost having to run to go step in step with the scarred man. "They want to reverse engineer some of his little... _gadgets."_ He grimaced, as if just talking about it pained him. "Particularly that serrated whip of his..."

Harry remembered that conversation. When Anko thought he was out of it, she once struck conversation with her... colleague about Ogata Kouga. The man was famous – or better, infamous for his use of serrated whip. His techniques with that weapon earned him the nickname of _'Bloody Chanisaw'_ – and with a reason. When he used that particular weapon, he always caused a massacre – and the signature high pitched whine of the weapon didn't help his opponents any when they engaged the man in a fight. He was ranked as an S – class, wanted by Amegakure for his war crimes. His signature technique, 'Blood _Rain'_ was feared and revered.

He had been captured by Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui; however their third teammate perished under the madman's onslaught, and even Shisui had to spend a week or two in the hospital to treat the vicious - looking wounds.

And now when Konoha had Ogata in their claws, they wanted to wrangle out the secrets about his ... gadgets. Harry could understand that – whoever had an advantage, would win in the conflict, but it still gave him chills when he thought about the bastards trying to reverse – engineer his own little bits and pieces of weapons.

If he succeeded to reverse engineer his pistols or those monstrous elemental grenades Weasley twins and Hermione had put together...

_Fuck._

Luckily – or not – as far as he knew, they didn't get their dirty paws on his things. He had to wonder why, but he wouldn't look a gifted Thestral in his mouth now, would he?

* * *

They arrived to Ibiki's office without a hitch. Harry found out that T&I Chief was a no – nonsense person – after he explained why he came, Ibiki led him to the office. It was not surprising – R&D and T&I departments were not exactly buddy – buddy. In fact, Harry would go as far as to say there was a smidgen of animosity between the two departments – apparently, T&I hogged the... research material for themselves, and like bastards they were, they were unwilling to part with it. It was like pulling teeth to extricate the ... learning materials form particular persons of T&I department... namely Anko and her underlings.

Ibiki opened the door of his office, before motioning Harry to enter. Harry did so warily, as he didn't know what unpleasant surprises could wait for him in that particular place.

"Did you have training?" Harry tensed slightly at Ibiki's inquiry.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Harry countered back, trying to relax.

Dark eyes narrowed as Ibiki watched the nondescript man. "You're jumpy." He remarked, before turning his back, just in time to miss Harry's scowl.

' _Stupid. Stupid, stupid!'_ Harry berated himself heatedly. _'You KNEW that Ibiki can read body language. Why the hell did you slip!'_ Inhaling softly, he centred himself again.

Ibiki pulled out a scroll and turned back to the man. "Here it is. And tell Mayuri-san I still will not get him Cookie's gadgets." Harry blinked. If he hadn't fortified his mental walls a moment before, he was sure he would show the surprise on his face.

Once again, that bastard of a bat (Snape,) saved his hide. "But Sir – "He attempted to say, before Ibiki stopped his attempted ramblings. "No. I have use for them, and no, you may not know which ones."

Harry made a mental sour face. He knew, only too well, which uses, Ibiki had for his little gadgets.

He sighed. "Right," He agreed wearily. "Still, may I see them?" He asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.

"Otherwise, Mayuri-shisho would have my hide... if I don't tell him at least what they look like... besides, there's running a bet pool on just what is in that... collection of Cookie's."

He held a breath as he looked at Ibiki, barely restraining himself not to look anywhere else.

* * *

Ibiki stared. This milk – toothed _brat ..._

"Do you know what I am?" He asked slowly.

The brat blinked. "The Head of T&I Department." He returned, flippantly. "Why?" He asked, clueless.

Ibiki was gobsmacked. The brat wasn't afraid of him? Just what was going on?

Even his colleagues were uneasy of him – the only people that treated him normally were Mitarashi Anko – the girl was batshit insane anyway, his old teacher Yamanaka Inoichi and Hokage – sama himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Anyone else... Didn't fare so well. Among the civilians, only the fox-brat was courageous enough – or foolish enough to treat him at least semi – normally.

And now this... _messenger._

He sighed. "Very well, "he agreed. Privately, he had to admit he was also curious what would the brat make out of these... strange weapons.

When they had brought Cookie in, they had – as per regulations – stripped him of everything he had on himself. There were strange robes, made from some kind of leather, and coveralls for them, and he had a belt and two bracelets with shin and arm guards made from some strange material Ibiki didn't recognize. And the wrist and ankle bracelets along with two daggers and some kind of a L – shaped black weapons nobody could make heads or tails of. It didn't help that the weapons were unresponsive - at least black ones. When one curious newbie tested the dagger, he had to be carted off into the hospital, but it was already too late to help him. They had learned the lesson – the dagger was obviously poisonous – and what was more, when Anko tried to use the dagger on Cookie, it burned her hand. This was also the reason for Anko being bitchy enough to tear Cookie's eye out. It didn't help, as she still had the burn, and it seemed to be a permanent one.

Privately, Ibiki thought it was about time Anko learned her lesson not to play with weapons of strangers –even if he had to admit that psychological effect on the prisoners, when they realized that their own weapons would be used to torture them with, was a very effective psychological weapon.

He brought the corresponding scroll and laid it on the table. Biting his thumb, he smeared blood on the seal, making it activate in a puff of smoke.

He looked at the contents with a weird mix of respect and sentimentality. These weapons were a part of Cookie – and he really didn't wish to part with them. He had used his fearsome reputation to hold them away from the greedy fools that were R&D department. He had seen them so many times he could describe them in his sleep.

Now, they were the only way to see Cookie.

* * *

Harry had to hold a breath when Ibiki opened the scroll. It was a complicated mix of magic, one he'd bet his right eye would make Hermione fall into a tizzy with the need to research it.

And there they were. His battle robes and overall robes, along with his belt and bracelets and shin and arm guards. He regretted that he didn't have a wand, but oh well. He would have to get used to wand less magic anyway.

It was like seeing an old friend, when he saw his weapons. Both pistols were preserved perfectly, along with his daggers. Especially daggers made him relieved, because this particular pair of them was poisonous. Their cold green, black and silver beauty never failed to amaze him.

Silently, he sent a small pulse of magic to the daggers, making the green eyes of serpent glint softly in the light. He smiled s the resonating pulse hit him back.

"The daggers are magnificent," He murmured appreciatively, making Ibiki blink with confusion.

"You know something about them?" Ibiki inquired softly, as he traced the black pistol gently.

Harry nodded. "Yes. They are most likely ceremonial daggers and the heirloom of the ancient House." He muttered, making Ibiki eyeing him sharply. "What makes you say so?" Ibiki inquired, as his hand moved to the dagger. Harry had to suppress a twitch as he saw how Ibiki's fingers caressed the hilt and avoided the blade. "Because they are too... ornamented to be anything else," He murmured lowly.

Ibiki hissed as his hand was nicked on the sharp edge. Usually, the nick would hardly disturb him, but the dizziness and nausea he experienced almost immediately, were a cause of concern.

The last thing he saw was concerned blue eyes looking at him.

Then, he knew nothing.

* * *

Harry smirked as he saw Ibiki faint. "Good old boy, that Slytherin," He murmured to himself happily. What he failed to explain to Ibiki, was that those particular daggers were sentient – and they were bound to Head of Slytherin House, making them unable to harm the said Head. Ibiki was lucky that Harry ordered the daggers only to incapacitate him, and not outright kill him. He could have, what with the daggers having been dipped into Basilisk poison.

Quickly, Harry checked if all pieces were on their designated places, especially elemental grenades. He breathed a sigh of relief as he found all the small balls being accounted for.

That noted, he put on the bracelets and he strapped the daggers on his person along with his pistols. He stowed away his battle robes – it wouldn't do to wear them now, even if they did offer a good deal of protection, but they would be too noticeable.

Then, he dug out some kind of pearly looking clay, and with a quick murmur, the clay separated and changed into the ... _retrieved_ items.

It wouldn't do for the Scarface to discover his favourite things missing, would it?

That done, he turned back to Ibiki, schooling his face in properly concerned face, as he set to wake the interrogator up.

* * *

"Ibiki – san?"

Groaning, Ibiki screwed his eyes. "Ugh..." He let out between his clenched teeth.

Slowly, his senses came to him _. 'Serrated ...weapons... **Cookie!'**_ He shot up, only to crumple back onto the floor as the blinding pain streaked though his skull.

"T... The weapons!" He rasped out, as he blindly searched for the man. "C – Cookie... weapons..."

Dull blue eyes looked at him, concerned. "Weapons are here... all of them," The man muttered out lowly. "It seems that you triggered a hidden defence mechanism of the dagger – "

Ibiki made a face. "That shitty thing is a living death trap," He hissed out, looking at the table poisonously, making the man chuckle.

" At least you know one thing more about the daggers." The man offered to him, his voice relieved, as he helped him to stand up.

Ibiki stumbled, as he felt the man's skinny frame helping him lean on the table. With a frantic look, he searched for any discrepancies, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found out that nothing was stolen or otherwise moved.

His eyes shot to the man who was source of his current headache. "You didn't - ?"

"And risk you torturing me?" The man countered, incredulous. "Thanks for invitation, but no way."

Ibiki smirked.

It seemed that this particular techie was properly... aware of Ibiki's possessiveness over the displayed items.

"You know, it's rare to find as honest person as you are," He said conversationally, when he closed the scroll again, making a note of a disappointed glint of light in techie's blue eyes. _'It was so worth it to see the techie salivating over those particular items',_ Ibiki mused sadistically. A small revenge was a sweet revenge, indeed.

The man grimaced. "It's a matter of perspective," he commented, making Ibiki chuckle and nod.

"Too true, "Ibiki agreed, smirking. "Too true."

* * *

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he finally left the T&I building. What he had just done was very risky, but it had to be done. He couldn't risk his weapons landing in the paws of some mad scientist, and he had to have some way to protect himself.

Just to be sure, he delivered scroll with Ogata's weapons to R&D department, if only to cover his tracks.

Harry looked around. "First thing first, I need some new clothes," He muttered to himself, as he ambled to the second – hands shop. He needed to blend in, and new clothes were sure-fire way for his cover to be blown off in a jiffy.

He found three pairs of black pants and two turtlenecks – one in deep blue, and one in brown. He also nabbed deep red and black jacket, and on afterthought, he added a pair of well-worn knee-high boots and black fingerless gloves.

To complete the ensemble, he added gray scarf – he wouldn't need it, because heating charms were a wonderful thing, but for the sake of appearance...

He blinked. Speaking of appearances, he had to find some clothes for the fox brat. It wouldn't do to have him running around in summer clothes, and once again, he wondered just who was the brat's guardian, and why had they been so irresponsible as to let the boy running around without jacket.

Looking around, he spied the orange monstrosity. He grimaced. He just could imagine Naruto prancing around in that ensemble, but the colour was burning his retinas. It was blinding neon orange, practically screaming 'Kill _Me!'_ to whomever that dared to look at the suit.

It wouldn't do. Not in the least. Harry sighed. _'But with some of Colour Charms...'_ His traitorous mind whispered to him. Harry snorted. He added some white and blue t – shirts, and he managed to find kid-sized boots, along with orange scarf.

The teller watched his... purchases incredulously. "Uh... sir, do you really want that..?" She motioned to the pile of orange coloured cloth. Harry eyed her flatly. "Is that a problem?" He asked flatly, making teller wince. "Uh, no, sir, but this suit is for the fox brat – "She gasped and covered her mouth. Harry's eyes narrowed. "So why didn't he receive it already? " He asked silently. The teller was sputtering, before she told him "W – Well, the jacket is 3000 ryo and the brat didn't have money so – "Harry blinked at the absurd price. Even his jacket was barely a quarter of the price, and it was of a better quality than this eyesore of an orange heap of fabric. Something was very, very wrong here, and Harry didn't like it!

"Well, tell the brat it is first come first serve, "He sneered at the teller, while he mentally prodded at her mind. He was not an Occlumens, not by a long shot and only by hard and rigorous training did he achieve the status of a Mind Master. But Legilimency was a whole another kettle of fish. In fact, Harry had taken to Legilimency with a scary efficiency. And the teller's mind was quite... curious.

Harry's mouth thinned as he saw the reason for the bigotry of a small boy. But he said nothing and swiftly paid for his purchases. His mind was in turmoil over the latest discovery.

How in the hell could those fools mistake an innocent boy – a container at that - for six- stories high red beast with nine tails?

_Idiots._

* * *

Naruto was down. He was sitting in the park, on one of the swings. He was swinging morosely, his blue eyes unseeing to the hustle and bustle on the playground. He had been everywhere, and there was no Zombie –san in sight.

' _Did he... Leave me?'_ Naruto asked himself quietly. _'Because I was a baka... he left. '_ He hung his head. It hurt. It hurt more than the teachers' disapprovals or Sakura – chan's rebuffs of his attempts of love confession.

He shook slightly, because the chill was getting to him, but otherwise, he didn't budge. He knew that he would be sick, but what was the point? He didn't have anyone to take care of him...

He mused, unaware of the three kids that watched him.

The sun was setting down, and Naruto was still here. He should have gone to Ichiraku or home... but what was the point?

Suddenly, he felt a warm jacket drop on him, obscuring his eyesight.

Blue eyes widened with hope.

' _Is it real...?'_

"Brat, you will be the death of me," A gruff voice stated, making Naruto's heart explode with happiness.

"Z – Zombie – san?" he squeaked out, disbelievingly, as he struggled out of the heavy jacket. He heard a snort. "Who else, kid?" And then, gentle hands helped him into the too big jacket swiftly. "What the hell were you thinking, staying outside in such a cold?" The man barked at him, making Naruto wince.

Naruto looked up and his heart stopped. This man... wasn't his Zombie-san.

The man in front of him had mousy brown hair and dull blue eyes and was clothed in well-worn knee high black boots with black pants and he had on deep blue turtleneck sweater.

But then, the unknown man crouched in front of him and ruffled his hair. Taking a whiff of man's scent, Naruto was now officially confused. It was Zombie-san... and at the same time, it wasn't.

" Let's get home and make vegetable stir-fry," The man sated gruffly. "And I still have to ream you out for your utter _stupidity_ over staying in cold weather without at least a jacket on."

Naruto sniffled. And then, his eyesight blurred. "I'm sorry." He whimpered out. "I am sorry for asking you – "He snuggled deeper onto the jacket, inhaling Zombie-san's scent. As he looked up at the man, but the picture was all blurry.

Sniffling angrily, he wiped the tears away violently, but to no avail, as a new batch of them blurred his eyesight a moment latter.

"It's alright," the man stated softly. "I am sorry too. I shouldn't have reacted like I did." He paused, as he took a handkerchief to wipe the fox-boy's face. "However, it was a painful memory for me, and you having asked such a thing, especially when you tried to get out of drinking the smoothie...Brat, some things I experienced are ..." He paused. "Unpleasant. I don't want you to have nightmares over them, so don't ask me so lightly. "Naruto pouted. "But I will be a ninja!" The blond exclaimed, whiskered cheeks puffing out in indignation.

The man stilled for a moment. And then, he snorted. "That still doesn't change the fact you are much too young to know some things."

"You're mean," Naruto grumbled out petulantly, before smirking impishly.

The man only had a second before the whisker – cheeked chibi pounced on him.

" _Oof!_ You brat!" Naruto sniggered at Zombie – san's startled squeak. The man was sprawled on the cold ground, with Naruto in his lap, cerulean eyes twinkling impishly at the Zombie – san.

* * *

Harry had to smile at Naruto's fox-like mischievousness. Even if it had been such a short time – only a day, really, the brat already managed to unknowingly sneak into his heart and comfortably hole himself up here.

Even if he wanted to, Harry wouldn't leave the chibi fending for himself. The brat was too young, and inexperienced, making Harry shudder at the thought what would the brat look like in that overpriced orange monstrosity he had seen at the pawns shop.

Someone had to take care of the fox-boy, and Harry decided it would be him.

"Get up, brat." He muttered in the spiky blonde hair fondly. "I am not getting any younger, and I don't want to spend time out in the cold."

Naruto nodded excitedly, but even when he stood up, he didn't let go of Harry's hand, as if he were afraid that Harry would disappear the moment he would let him go.

* * *

The three little spies watched the scene, Hinata blushing, Shino frowning and Kiba being just plain confused. It was a known fact that Naruto didn't have any caretakers, as nobody came for him to the school, besides, Naruto for some reason, didn't trust adult figures much.

But this man – Shino frowned thoughtfully, seemed to be Uzumaki's new caretaker, and Uzumaki ... as strange as it was, seemed to trust him implicitly. However, Shino's attention was riveted to the fact that the man seemed to be completely unremarkable. He seemed to be a civilian... but maybe he was a retired shinobi, too?

But he didn't seem to carry any weapon around, like the retired shinobi were won't to do. Old habits die hard, and when shinobi – or kunoichi retired – they were still armed. Uzumaki's... Zombie-san, however, wasn't.

Kiba was confused. Fox-face had a dad? Step-dad? What the heck was going on? ' _Maybe Mom would know more',_ he resolved in his mind. As long as fox-face didn't try to steal his Hinata – chan, Kiba was content to leave him alone.

They returned back to the apartment without a hitch. Of course, some people were glaring at Naruto, but the blond dismissed the in favour of cheerfully chatting with his new... companion, while the said companion listened with amusement.

Some of the more malicious villagers pondered that the man was under the fox's curse, and contemplated about... _forcefully_ reminding the said "fox" about its place in the world – meaning, under their shoes, but they decided that could wait until they knew more about the enigmatic stranger.

The stranger seemed to be a shinobi, even if they did notice the lack of the head protector, but off-duty shinobi often left their head protectors at home, or at least put them in a pocket.

The stranger's slow, easy gait made them uncomfortable. Even if his attention was on the blond chatterbox of a boy, he was still aware of his surroundings, neatly avoiding or sidestepping the passerby's.

Mostly, they left the duo alone.

A pair of dark eyes watched the blond boy chatter to his taller companion behind his ANBU mask, and narrowed.

This... boded investigation.

* * *

**_/To Be Continued/_ **


	3. Appearance of the thing and a change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto – thr characters belong to theri respective owners. I however, do own this little story.
> 
> Shout Out: Woweh... you guys sure surprised me with your reactions. Because of that, here's a new chapter, as I promised. I will now work on Fire and Ice for some time, so this little beauty is extra long to satisfy you for some time.
> 
> Warnings: It will be SLASH pairing sometime in the future. (Harry (Akito)/Ibiki) However, for not, it's a little bashing of Hatake Kakashi – stupid is as stupid does- you will see anyway, and Sandaime –sama himself, Sarutobi Hruzen. So expect some chewing out from Harry's side as he protects his lil' cublet!  
> Oh, and of course, Harry's name in Konoha is Koizumi Akito (Surname_name)

* * *

**_CHAPTER TWO – Appearance of the Thing and a change_ **

_Nothing that is can pause or stay;  
The moon will wax, the moon will wane,  
The mist and cloud will turn to rain,  
The rain to mist and cloud again,  
Tomorrow be today._

_~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

* * *

It was the first time, Naruto later reminisced fondly, that he felt that going to the tiny, bereft apartment, was actually walking home. For once, he was warm, he had someone to talk to, and nobody dared to glare or kick him.

It was as if his deepest dreams came true. And if that was a dream, the whisker – cheeked child prayed that any deity let him dream at least a little longer.

* * *

They arrived to the apartment, and Zombie- san opened it. " Get in, brat," He told the beaming chibi gruffly. Naruto happily did so, only to gawk. _"Whaaa - ?"_ He bleated out, surprised.

Surely that was some kind of a misunderstanding – this wasn't his little hellhole of an apartment!

"Um...Zombie-san?" He whispered quietly. "This is not th' apartment I left in th'morning."

Zombie – san snorted. "Of course it is." He said curtly." I just redecorated it a little."

* * *

Harry tried not to fidget as the chibi looked at him with widest, bluest and wateriest puppy dog eyes to the date. He forced himself to stare at the child, feeling his heart clench painfully at the grateful belief in the chibi's eyes.

"Your apartment was a crapload of junk, brat," He muttered uncomfortably."There is no way in Hell you would survive in that hellhole you had until spring." He looked at the cream coloured walls.

He nodded to the door. "Go explore. Dinner will be in fifteen minutes."

He watched with a hidden smile as the fox-boy squealed happily and then bounced off to inspect the other places.

Shaking his head, Harry headed into the kitchenette. More like a kitchen now - thank Merlin for the Expansion Charms. In the war, Harry had learned to pick up odd bits and ends of knowledge, and one of the most useful was Expansion Charms. It was useful when you didn't want to rub elbows with your room mates too much in one little measly room, although it was fairly difficult to master, because if you didn't understand the principle behind casting that particular Charm, you could very well pack the remains of your flatmates into a matchbox...accidentally. There was a reason why that kind of Charm could only be attempted by at least Class Four Charm Master. However, war didn't allow such luxuries as being overly careful, so all of them had to, at one point or another, try their wands at dangerous charms or curses that were perceived as too difficult either because of their age or their experience – or lack thereof. For Harry, it had been an especially hard time, because while he had to learn what his... comrades had to, he also took supplementary lessons in Dark magic – meaning, he tottered on thin red line between sanity and insanity. Dark magic wasn't just a word. It was Dark, because it was offensive, intending to harm and addictive to the user. Once you began to use Dark Magic, there was no way out of the labyrinth you began to walk in. While Light magic was generally soft, kind and protective, Dark magic was hard, harsh and offensive, a wild beast ready at the moment's notice to turn on the user and devour them body, mind and soul. It was because of Harry's bad luck, that he was stuck with one of the most dangerous forms Animagi could get. And even then, he just _HAD_ to be an exception to the norm, hadn't he?

When they attempted the Animagus transformation, their resident bushy-haired bookworm changed into an owl – they joked it was because she was one too many time between the books. Her codename was _Temis_ , the shortened name of the Goddess of the hunt, Artemis. Hermione had argued, saying she'd rather be called Athena, but because it was too obvious of a codename, she sulkily accepted Artemis, which she later on changed into _Temis._

Ron became a lion, much to the amusement of his two friends; Hermione even joked she would have to call him _Lionheart_ now much to his pouting. They finally settled on a _Scar_ as a name, because of Ron's scar that cut his face from his left temple down to his jaw.

Luna had declined becoming Animagus, saying that Bibbering Humdingers told her she would be more useful without the form. Later on, Luna had confided in Harry that her form was a moon fairy, thus getting the code name of _Selene._

Neville was a surprise. He became a Minotaur – much to the horror of the witnesses. Ron was jealous of the shy Gryffindor, but Luna said it was because of Neville's strong bond with Earth. Neville's form was hard to control – but it was only the harbinger of things to come.

Harry had become very frustrated, because he didn't made any progress with his form. All his friends had at least an idea what to expect, what their soul animal was, but he had nothing. Zip. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

It didn't help that he had to get his Occlumency walls under control, making the two processes counteract with each other. Harry remembered those days with a fond smile on his face. Of course, he had been crabby as hell, what with his migraines from Hell, and being confined in one of the safe houses didn't help one whit, because he had begun getting stir crazy from the confinement, and oh let's not forget the lessons on Dark magic, and you get a powerful cocktail of emotions that had to erupt sooner than later.

When it had, it hadn't been pretty. It was unanimously decided that Harry's form remains secret at all costs. Harry would never forget horrified looks Snape and Lucius threw him when he finally woke up from his little rampage.

Except, the rampage hadn't been so little. The rooms were overthrown, furniture, books and everything else either shredded to itty bitty bits or charred or... simply not existing anymore. Not to mention the witnesses. Snape had to _Obliviate_ everyone except Harry and Lucius – even Harry's friends – to stop them from remembering the horrifying creature that had rampaged through the rooms. The only victim was Professor Lupin, because Harry's inner animal had seen him as an intruder on its' turf – luckily, it was the full moon, meaning Lupin had been transformed into the werewolf, thus levelling his chances of survival a little bit higher.

Lupin didn't remember, but his wolf sure did. It took some time for Lupin to cease to be wary of Harry for some terrible reason, which he remembered only as the three pairs of glowing eyes – two red and one blue.

In the light of the events at his... _transformation,_ Harry was expressly forbidden to use his Animagus form. He argued against it, but in the end, cooler heads won, and Harry was limited on meditation to better know the beast within him.

His friends were disappointed that he didn't have a form – Ron was even smug about that, the prat - but those who knew the truth – aside from Harry – swore to never, ever piss one Harry James Potter off bad enough to cause him to change in his Animagus form.

Harry's inner beast of course wasn't tamed, not by a long shot, but occasions of Harry having chance to involuntarily change into the beast were some of the tensest times they spent on battlefields. Most of the Order didn't know why both of ex – Death Eaters were so keen to quickly finish with the brawls, but the duo knew. The longer the battle was, the stronger Harry's urge to transform into the beast and just slay everything and everyone was.

Thinking back on the months of torture, Harry pondered the bastards were just lucky he was hampered with the collar, otherwise his tortures would be only smears of blood and brain matter on the walls.

Harry smirked as he imagined what his torturers' reaction would be when he introduced them to his...partner. Sometimes, it was a bonus to have such a magical form for Animagus transformation; however, for him it was a bitch, because true to the Potter luck, something just had to go wrong, and his form was heavily influenced by the magic in his blood, along with the magic he used.

Slowly, he ambled into the kitchen, pondering on what to prepare for dinner.

* * *

Naruto was excited. He zoomed from one to another room, making noises of excitement. His apartment was the coolest!

The living room was painted in beige and accented with dark brown furniture. On the floor, there was a plushy dark red carpet, and the floor was gleaming with the waxed wood. On the wall, there were stylised pictures and he even had a library! However the best was the couched. They were dark brown with some orange accents thrown in and so comfortable Naruto felt as if he were floating on a clouds.

The bathroom was fully transformed, too. Instead of the dark, drab and dingy thing that couldn't pass for a latrine if it tried very hard, Naruto gaped at the cool blue tiles on the wall and turquoise and aquamarine ones on the floor. The shower cabin was gleaming with the cleanliness, and Naruto yipped with the excitement when he saw the toilet. Hell yes, no more crapping outside!

He touched the towels with a sense of wonder. They were so soft and warm Naruto wished to take them off the rack and just curl into them forever.

He sniffled. It was as if – as if it was a dream. A beautiful dream, but dream nonetheless. He hardly dared to believe that all of his troubles were ended so... swiftly, just because he helped Zombie-san. His eyes blurred with tears as he thought of the man. Shaking, he collapsed on the floor, biting his lip in attempt to not outright bawl.

The whisker – cheeked boy didn't experience much kindness in his short life. He was scorned, whispered about, rejected, insulted, attacked...but the hardest was ignorance. When people ignored him, it was as if he didn't exist, as if he didn't matter to anyone.

But now – now... He gulped. Zombie-san did more for him even Hokage-jijii had. In just one day, he overturned Naruto's life so completely it left the poor fox-boy stunned and stumped.

Distantly, he heard a call, but he was too shaken to care.

* * *

Moments later, a shadow covered the fox-boy who was trembling on the floor.

"Brat?" Naruto's ears twitched at Zombie-san concerned murmur. He looked up at the man, trying to tell him something, but his throat was too tight.

Green eye looked at him with concern. "I called you to come. Are you alright?" Zombie-san muttered to him, as he crouched down on Naruto's height.

He yelped with surprise as the fox-boy tackled him. "Hey!" However, Naruto didn't care about that. What he cared about, was that those arms wound around his trembling body securely, not letting him go, holding him against the beating heart that reassured the blue – eyed boy that it wasn't a dream.

He snuffled the scent of the man into his nostrils, trying to imprint it into his brain, to remember it forever. It was something spicy, wild and it reminded him of the burning wood and rain at the same time. This...was the scent he would forever associate with safety.

A hand weaved itself into yellow spikes. He heard the man sigh. "Let's go eat," The man murmured to the boy, the words reverberating into Naruto through Zombie-san's chest.

Naruto opened his mouth, and then closed them.

He nodded, but didn't make a move to get up.

Sighing exasperatedly, Zombie-san complied with the whisker – cheeked boy.

They stayed in the bathroom, holding onto each other like they were drowning.

After some time, Zombie-san nudged the boy, who still clung to him, like some kind of a human – shaped limpet.

Wordlessly, Zombie-san managed to get up, and carried the small burden into the kitchen.

"Good thing I set the whole thing under Warming Charms," Zombie-san muttered to himself lowly.

* * *

Harry had to prod the brat into eating dinner – boiled potatoes with chicken and green salad. It was a relatively simple meal, but to the kid, who survived mainly on those horrible dry packets of... soup - Harry still didn't know what that excuse for a food was, and in his honest opinion, he didn't want to know – was a veritable feast.

After they ate the meal, Harry washed the dishes, while Naruto watched him, sitting in his chair and drinking one of the smoothies – this time it was pineapple and banana flavoured one.

The silence was comfortable, neither of them inclined to interrupt it with useless chatter.

When he finished, Harry looked at the small boy, finding him barely awake. Well, this day was a stressful one for the chibi, what with upsetting Harry, worrying about Harry and then finding out what Harry had been up to – it was enough for a grown up to be physically and emotionally tired out, and for Naruto, it was even more tiring.

He had to smile at the cute picture the boy unknowingly presented. "C'mere, brat," Harry muttered out, making the chibi blink dazedly. As soon as Naruto comprehended what Harry said, he scrambled to the man's stretched out arms and snuggled into his chest.

Harry frowned as the boy mumbles something in his sweater.

"Why?"

* * *

He didn't answer the chibi at once. Instead, he picked Naruto up and headed to his room. For all he found out today, he didn't think that leaving the chibi alone would be the best strategy. Even if he warned the flat to the best of his ability, said wards were only a temporary measure until he had time and necessities needed to build up true wards.

The trek was slow as Harry was beginning to get tired. Magic did many things, but even Harry knew that today, he had overstepped his bounds, what with enlarging the flat and redecorating it from the hellhole he was in into the respectable place that would suffice for decent living. Transfiguration was a godsend in that case, but permanent transfiguration still tired him out. In fact, when he was half done with the flat, he had to take a breather for three hours to recover, before he felt strong enough to continue his project. It didn't help that he didn't have his wand – and he sorely wished he hadn't been dumb enough to leave the Elder one back in his world. However, that wand was too dangerous to have, even if he was its Master, so he left it in care of Luna Lovegood. Nobody would thought of her – besides, he had transfigured the wood into the replica of Elder wand, and gave it to Ron to further throw off suspicions. Neville had the stone – not that he knew about it, and cloak, he trusted to the last Marauder, Remus Lupin.

He inwardly shook himself out of his musings as he entered his room.

* * *

Naruto blinked as he noticed different surroundings. This room was...Dark. It was furnished with a dark wood and the covers on the bed were deep green. The moonlight that came through the window made the room even more shrouded in darkness, what with its feeble rays of light, making the room seem austere for some reason. The fox-boy would have shuddered, thoroughly intimidated at the sight, if he weren't cuddled against Zombie – san. He chose to focus on the man who put him on the bed, before joining him.

Naruto immediately cuddled back into the warm body.

"Brat."

One word managed to perk Naruto's ears. The boy squinted as he looked at the man. "Y – Yes, Zombie- san?" He whispered out timidly. Usually, Naruto wouldn't be so... timid, but he had overstepped his bounds more than enough times today, and he didn't want for this... particular dreams finish on a bad note. So he unconsciously played it safe.

"You asked me... _why._ " The man paused, as he swallowed. "I don't know if I could explain it to you so that you would understand – but I will try." He sighed.

Blue eyes widened. Would Zombie san really? " _Really? "_ He breathed out, still not convinced. He heard a snort.

"Yes." The man answered promptly. "First thing is, because you saved me. In my culture, that means I owe you one." His voice was gruff, making Naruto shiver.

Naruto wanted to puff his chest up and deflate at the same time. He finally did something good, and he was disappointed Zombie-san only cared for him out of obligation.

* * *

He yelped as the man lightly poked his forehead. "Ow! What did you do _THAT_ for?"He complained loudly, all sleepiness forgotten in his ire, as he huffed, puffing out his cheeks so that he looked like human – sized chipmunk.. The man snorted. "I see you are not satisfied with explanation, brat." The man snarked back. "So shut up and listen!" He rebuked the squirming bundle in his lap, prompting Naruto to sulkily mutter something under his breath- something that sounded suspiciously like 'meanie'.

Zombie- san decided to let it slip... this time. Rolling his eyes mentally, he continued. "Done with your sulking bout now?" He demanded. When Naruto nodded, he continued. "Second reason, you deserve to be treated normally. The villagers don't have any excuse to shun you like they do. You are a good kid, and if they would get their heads out of their collective arses, they would see that. But don't hold your breath on that one, brat." He popped Naruto's hopes mercilessly. "Human prejudice is not something that could be squashed so easily. And unfortunately for you, you live in an idiot village." He grumbled to himself, baffling the fox boy immensely. "Just remember you are you and sealing scroll is different from kunai that is sealed into it."

Naruto huffed. "What is pre-joo-di-ce?" He asked curious. Immediately after asking the question, he flinched in expectation of not so favoured response.

Zombie-san didn't answer for a moment. "Prejudice is when people or a person judge a person or people without getting to know them first." He told him quietly. "For example, let's say that all people with red hair are evil. Do you understand me?"

Naruto nodded, confused. "Are they really evil?" He asked, blue eyes big, making the man sigh with exasperation. "No."Zombie-san grumbled out reluctantly. "But it is supposed to be an example." When Naruto still looked at him blankly he grimaced, and tried another approach. "Okay. Let's say that all those who eat ramen are evil."

The chibi's eyes became huge. " _WHAT?_ I am evil?" Naruto choked out. "They hate me because I eat ramen? But ramen is – like – a food for _gods!"_

Zombie-san face palmed, groaning. "Listen to me, brat!" He ground out, irritated. He really was no good at explaining that to the chibi... _"NO,_ you are not evil because you eat ramen." He eyed the relieved chibi sourly. "But suppose they think that." Naruto nodded slowly. "Yes?" Naruto drawled out.

"What happens when you don't eat ramen anymore?" Zombie-san asked him patiently. Naruto blinked. "I am... not evil anymore?" He tried slowly. "Not that I would stop eating ramen anyway..." he trailed off thoughtfully.

Zombie-san huffed with exasperation. "Hard – headed little brat," He mumbled to himself, making Naruto bristle weakly at the insult. "Wonder if I was as hard –headed like the punk...I am beginning to sympathize with Snape though." Zombie-san said the last part with horrified fascination. "Oh, _shit."_

Naruto blinked. "Um... Zombie san?"He asked tentatively. "You still didn't explain pre-joo-di-ce."

Zombie-san sighed. "Prejudice, brat. Okay, in short, it is when you judge a person without getting to know them or their reasons for what they had done first." He explained, defeated.

Naruto blinked. "Well... Why didn't you just say so?" He asked innocently, making Zombie-san absolutely stumped at the question.

The man gaped, then fumed. "Punk..." He grumbled out finally, fondly ruffling blond hair, making Naruto smile cheekily.

"Um..." Naruto hesitated. "What, brat?" Zombie-san grumbled, as he settled in a more comfortable position, the chibi shifting with him. The blond boy inhaled. "Who is that Snap person?"

The man chuckled. "Snape. He was my sensei." He answered softly. "Now, go to sleep, brat."

Naruto grumbled, but settled down anyway. "Zombie-san?" He asked again, his eyes sliding shut. He yawned widely as he snuggled deeper into that blue warmth. He got only a grunt on an answer.

"Will you... Will you stay with me?" Naruto asked hopefully.

A soft huff warmed his head. "Yes, brat. Now, go to sleep, kiddo." The gruff voice was surprisingly gentle, making Naruto smile and peacefully drift off into darkness.

* * *

Harry closed his eyes as he felt the chibi's breathing steady into a pattern which indicated that the boy was well and truly under Morpheus' hold. He sighed as he stroked the boy's hair. The brat was truly insufferable, but that was to be expected. He had explained him – at best as he could – about the ... prisoner. Dark eyebrows furrowed. What he had seen in the teller's mind, was...Horrifying. The kind of beast that could only be comparable with forces of nature in power. Even he was affected by the beast's bloodlust – at least partly – and that was when he was only a bystander. His own beast was rearing in challenge, even now demanding to tear the nine-tailed one into shreds. It tolerated the boy, but only because Harry firmly told it to.

The green-eyed man sighed. He already felt the stirring of his beast, its demands to be let out becoming louder and louder in his mind. He clenched his teeth, feeling them shift and change from the blunt ones the omnivores used, to the carnivore –worthy razor sharp rows of deadliness. He hissed as the clawing inside of his body became even more insistent. Good thing the brat slept like a log – though, if he really wanted to be one of those pathetic idiots called ninjas, Harry would have his work cut out for him to get in that thick blonde skull some sense of awareness.

Growling slightly, he gently put Naruto on the mattress, covering him and then, he looked at the moon.

Green eye glinted with hellish red as he tore the eye patch off of his eye, the glint of blackened nails flashing through the night.

He looked back at the chibi and sniffling slightly, he decided that the little fleshling wasn't any sort of danger and jumped through the window.

* * *

Dark eyes blinked. "What the - ?" The man muttered. Something has jumped out of Naruto's apartment, almost too fast for him to follow.

He watched as the ... _thing_ sniffed the air and then streaked to the Forbidden forest.

"Oh no, you don't," The man grumbled to himself. He may not have liked the little brat, but orders were orders, and ...well, he could shirk them a little, under a guise of... following the ... _thing._

All in all, he had to know what they were having on their hands now, didn't they?

Silently, he jumped after the ... _thing,_ following its' distinct scent rather easily.

* * *

He ran. At first on his two legs, and then, his vision shifted, from one viewpoint to three, his hands became claws and his senses sharpened. Where he only saw dark, he now could see obstacles as if it were a bright, cloudless day. At first, he stumbled a little – his depth perception was thrown off because he lacked an eye, but that didn't halt him significantly. He felt the mane erupt down his head and back and the two long, hard horns adorning his head. He made an odd hiss/growl, as he crushed the thick branch as if it were nothing else than a toothpick.

The air was chilly, and he was so, so warm...and finally _free._

And he rejoiced.

* * *

The pursuer froze as he heard the unearthly sound from the forest. It was something that would give him nightmares. It was something... hissing, growling and roaring a cacophony of sounds that were likened to nothing he had heard prior.

However, he had known one fact – it was the call of a predator-a predator who was self-assured enough to announce his dominance heedless of whoever would heard it.

He gulped. If he had been an Inuzuka, he would have cowered somewhere far, far away from that... thing. He wondered at the wisdom of following it to the most dangerous training ground.

' _Curiousity killed the cat.'_ He grimaced as he remembered the old proverb.

' _But satisfaction brought it back. Right...?'_

Little did he know that his...curiosity would get him into a heckload of trouble...

... and that he _definitely_ didn't have nine lives.

Silently, he jumped onto another branch.

* * *

' _Hungry. Hungry. So... Hungry. Hunt. Run. Feed. '_ He blinked as those thoughts ran through his head.

He gave a leer at the thought of a fresh game and fight.

He scented strong predators in the forest, and he definitely would like a fight sometime.

Sharp white teeth flashed in a parody of smile.

For such an... Unusual animal, he was moving surprisingly silently. His steps were noiseless and self-assured. He was a little bit weak from such long... _containment_ , but it was nothing a good, fresh game couldn't cure.

Snorting slightly, he flicked his tail as he scented something.

' _Ah... Dinner, here we come...'_

Two pairs of pupil less red, glowing orbs looked at the liger. The orange – coloured feline was one of the biggest, if not _THE_ biggest he had ever seen in his life.

Not that it mattered.

Obviously it was still in the prime, and territorial of its place. It was scarred on its right flank and right now, it was snarling at the intruder.

He scoffed at the challenge, making the fur of his ...prey...bristle.

His prey roared a challenge, standing up.

If it thought it could intimidate him, then it was sorely mistaken.

Instead, its challenger licked his chops, as if commenting ' _You will be a yummy meal.'_

The two beasts circled one another, watching, assessing calculating...

And then, the liger attacked.

* * *

He heard a roar and immediately honed onto it.

And _boy,_ was he glad he had.

He watched, fascinated, as the two animals circled one another.

' _Once. Twice. Thrice...'_

There was a liger, and he could swear it was the damnedest biggest beast he had ever seen in those woods, and _that_ was saying something.

Standing on all fours, it was at least to his chest, and undoubtedly, if the damn beast would deign to ever walk on two, it would be at least one and a half of his height, not including the tail.

He gulped. Even he, as experienced as he was, wouldn't want to tangle with it without his weapons and at least handful of handy jutsus available to contain it and render it helpless as much as possible.

But the liger's opponent was something straight out of nightmare.

It was half-man, half-animal at least half smaller than the liger, with long horns and mane and unusually thick tail. And strange head.

He scratched his scalp, confused. _'Was the thing dropped on its head when it was a baby?'_ He mused to himself. Because the head was too stocky for anything else.

The liger attacked first.

With a roar, it lumped to its' opponent, intent to crush it into bloody smithereens as soon as it could.

The opponent made a strange sound, something between a growl and hiss, before, to the unknown observer's horror, attacked the liger head on.

* * *

' _The Thing is suicidal!'_ The observer thought, horror-struck.

Who in their right mind would go straight for jugular while being smaller and weaker and - !

The liger roared with pain as the... claws? Clutched onto the paws with an unnervingly strong grip. It tried to roll on its back, to use the hind legs to kick into the soft underbelly of its opponents and render it apart with its strong claws.

The Thing allowed the manoeuvre, and then, the liger screeched with pain, previously bunched up back legs curling into the body, trying to protect the ... The observer gulped, swallowing down a wave of sickness.

' _Talk about playing dirty,'_ He thought to himself, green with nausea.

The tail wasn't only a tail. In fact, it was a... Snake.

And that... _Snake_... Bit off liger's balls.

Cringing, he crossed his knees, barely managed not to whimper aloud.

He still saw how the... Snake... Bit and gulped down the orbs of... masculinity.

However, the liger wasn't finished yet.

* * *

With a strong shove, it managed to dislodge Thing and tried to flee away. However, it was crippled by the pain in it's ...lower region, giving the Thing a chance to attack anew.

This time, the Thing raked the claws across the liger's back, making it howl with agony and turn on its flank.

He cringed. He pitied the liger, he really did. It was such an unfair fight it wasn't even funny.

Even if liger was twice as big, and thrice as strong as Thing, it was slain in the most brutal manner possible.

The scent of blood and pain was strong. The Thing didn't prolong liger's agony too much – a quick movement and a moment later, he could hear the crunching of the liger's windpipe.

A few whimpers and a moment later, it was finished.

The liger was dead.

But Thing wasn't finished yet.

Apparently, the Liger was Thing's dinner, and he watched – how it tore out the stomach and devoured the entrails, liver, and kidneys, before it got to heart and lungs.

It was sickeningly fascinating to watch.

The head tore away the soft parts that were taken away by the tail, the small head was gnawing on the lungs, while something...was crunching the tougher meat and bones.

He must have made some kind of a noise because Thing's head snapped into his direction.

He barely had the presence to _Shinsuin_ away before he would fall prey to the gleaming white teeth and red eyes.

* * *

He was wet with sweat and as ashamed he was to admit to himself, he stank from urine he had unintentionally released from his bladder... For all his perceived courage and cool head in battle, he had lost it.

He gulped, as he panted, his heart beating crazily.

This... This was even _worse_ when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, and that was by far the worst memory he had. But Kyuubi was now safely – _relatively safely_ – behind the _Shiki Fuuin_ Minato-sensei designed.

But this... _Thing..._

It was unpredictable. It was dangerous. It was lethal. And the worst of it all, it was _intelligent._

Any beast which got in a fight with a liger that literally outclassed and outgunned it, was either stronger, insane or scarily intelligent.

Kyuubi, for all of his power, didn't have any intelligence.

The Thing... _did._

Wearily, the pursuer put the Inu mask away.

' _And if the Kyuubi brat was in danger...?'_

The thought chilled one Hatake Kakashi to the bone. Seeing how effortlessly Thing had massacred the liger – killing would be an unbecoming expression to describe...what he had unintentionally witnessed to in the Forest, what chances would Uzumaki brat have?

' _None,'_ He thought to himself grimly.

And if Thing managed to kill the Uzumaki, and letting the Kyuubi out...

... _They were in a deep, deep shit._

* * *

He snarled as the prey escaped him. The annoying fleshling was one of those that caught him and –

He licked his bloody chops, feeling warm and full from his meal. Of course, the fleshing would go squeal to his leader about him and there was no doubt there would be a manhunt after him shortly. And if they link him with the ' _Cookie'_ persona Ibiki searched for so determinedly...

He was finished.

Growling with annoyance, he looked back at the sky. He didn't relish returning back to that smelly place people called Konoha. Rather, he would go away and take his cub with him.

Thinking about his cub, red eyes blinked.

' _Cub wouldn't want to leave his den,'_ He concluded sourly. _'They brainwashed him too well for that.'_

While Harry could appreciate that Naruto was faithful to his alma mater, his beast was another thing entirely. The beast didn't approve of cub insisting to stay where people abused him for something that wasn't his fault. It reminded the beast too much of his partner.

Partner liked the small fleshling. The beast didn't like the small fleshling much – it was too loud, too smelly, too whiny and too curious for its own good and it surely wouldn't survive to adulthood anyhow, because of how dense it was.

But partner liked it, and grudgingly, the beast accepted the small fleshling as a cub itself.

If it was young, it was still trainable... _somewhat._

He stretched languidly, feeling the energy returning to him, as magic once again sung in his veins.

_Yes, he was alive._

A moment later, he disappeared into the forest, strong muscles contracting and relaxing as he effortlessly bounded from tree to tree to explore his new territory before he would have to return and deal with annoyance that called himself Hokage of Konohagakure.

* * *

It didn't happen very often that Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the famed Sharingan Kakashi as shaken as he was now. One of those occasions was, when he lost his team- first Obito, then Rin and lastly, Minato. The other was the Kyuubi attack, but that was understandable.

But now...Kakashi was standing in front of him, at the ungodly early hour, stinking with urine and - was that sake he smelled from him? - And as unkempt as possible. He was a little dirty, nothing that a good bath couldn't cure, but the expression on his face clearly indicated that the silver –haired man was severely rattled from whatever experience he had.

And whatever could rattle Kakashi to such an extent as to appear visibly... _unnerved,_ was a cause of concern.

"You wanted to see me, Kakashi?" The old man said kindly, but his eyes were serious.

And what Kakashi said next, made the old man bolt outright of his chair.

"Hokage-sama, I believe we have cause for Black Alert."

* * *

The Black Alert was a codeword for troubles related with Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Not troubles like those harmless pranks or Naruto being kicked out of the shop or something, but troubles like _troubles._

It could be categorised with several categories, but the short explanation would be, anything that could cause harm to the blonde ball of sunshine – meaning harming him to the brink of death or outright killing him. Sarutobi may have been naive, but he wasn't such an idiot as to believe that the villagers would accept the container of Kyuubi living in Konoha lying down. Thus the reason for the Kyuubi – related edict that forbid to speak about the beast or its' container to younger generation and outright harming the young boy to the point the death would be unavoidable.

Black Alert was used only once. And the one who caused it to be used, rued the day they thought that it would be a brilliant idea to kill the small boy.

This... was the second time. And Sarutobi felt the chill going through his spine at what would it mean now.

"Is... Is Naruto alright?" He rasped out, dark eyes shining with desperation.

* * *

Kakashi stared. "I think so, yes." He said slowly, making Sarutobi whirl on him.

"What do you mean, you _think_ so?" Sarutobi barked out, furious. Was Kakashi once again neglecting the kid? It was a possibility...

He gnashed his teeth with ire as he fought to repress his killing intent. It wouldn't do to kill the fool until he knew what was wrong.

Kakashi swallowed. He hadn't wanted to piss the Hokage off, but it couldn't be helped.

"The... kid should be alright . " He mumbled out. "What concerns me the most is the boy's ... companion."

Sarutobi blinked. "Companion?" he repeated slowly. In his heart, there rose a hope that Naruto was finally making a friend, however, the hope was shadowed by a worry that this... companion intentions to the kid were not so...pure at they seemed to be at the first glance.

He saw Kakashi gulp. "I noticed the kid hanging off the man's arm and chatting to him as if they knew each other forever. However, with the boy's...beast and general knowledge of what he contains, the man in question either doesn't know what boy contains, or if he does, he has ulterior motives to befriending the brat. The second thing is... the man had no distinguishable features. If the boy wouldn't have been squawking so loudly at him, I would have dismissed him as unimportant." Kakashi explained in a rush as he fidgeted.

Sarutobi hummed in contemplation. "Go on," he acknowledged the man.

Kakashi nodded, swallowing a tight knot in his throat in an attempt to ease it. "The man knew where the boy resided."

The statement made Sarutobi choke on his pipe _. 'Naruto **invited** the man in!_' He thought to himself incredulously. He knew the fox-boy and for Naruto to invite someone in his apartment was a big leap of faith. His blood froze at the implications.

"I was watching them for anything... out of character," Kakashi continued quietly. "Later on – I think it was near one in the morning, the man jumped out of Naruto's window and headed to the Forbidden Forest."

Sarutobi nodded stiffly. "And then? " He prompted the silver –haired man to continue his story.

* * *

The stark terror he saw in lone dark eye didn't reassure him. "The Thing massacred one of the biggest damn ligers I've ever had the misfortune to see, and if I hadn't known Shushin, I would be its' meal."

The Hokage blinked. "Wait, what?" He asked, confused. "You were talking about a man, and then... some _thing_ you saw massacred the liger."

Kakashi winced. "You would have to see to believe, sir," He replied grimly. "But in short, the Thing was unlike anything I've ever seen. It was walking on all fours, although I think it could be bipedal for all I have seen. It had the claws of a bird of prey and long horns on its head and its tail was a snake."

Sarutobi listened to the ramblings of his shinobi incredulously. _'Maybe he finally snapped.'_ He mused to himself _. 'That's it, I will order him to take a holiday. The poor man is under too much pressure as it is.'_

" _Ri – ight,"_ He muttered disbelievingly, making Kakashi bristle in anger. "It's the truth, sir!" Kakashi snapped out. "The Thing had slain the liger and ate it – and somehow, it heard me, and attacked me – I think it thought I was trespassing on its' territory or something – "He began to choke with the memories of terror he had witnessed.

Sarutobi eyed him silently. Whatever had spooked him so much – and there wasn't many things or people that managed that particular feat – was dangerous. Or Kakashi was just plain under too much stress, but Sarutobi doubted it.

He sighed, feeling every bit of his age crushing his body and mind. Wearily, he rubbed his temple. "Alright," He muttered. "Thank you for telling me, but I would hope that our assumptions are baseless. Besides, who would be stupid enough to enter Konoha under a full surveillance?"

Somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, the Thing sneezed.

* * *

Naruto was happily chattering in the kitchen, with Zombie-san indulgently listening to the fox-boy's natters. It wasn't anything spectacular, just listening to the boy's wants dreams and fantasies... some which made him amused, other plain annoyed him, but overall, he was happy to listen to the energetic boy.

Suddenly, he stiffened.

Naruto blinked. "- Um... Zombie-san?" He asked, confused. The man looked at him, previously gentle eyed now dark and serious. "We have a guest, Naruto." Zombie-san muttered out.

Blue eyes blinked. "Uh...This will be Oji-san," He suggested, licking his lips as he longingly looked at Zombie-san's smoothie.

Zombie-san sighed. "If you say so," He conceded. "Go open the door, brat."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang with a delicate chime.

The man huffed. "Go and later you can have my smoothie," he offered tiredly. Yelping with happiness, Naruto jumped down his chair and zoomed to the door.

Zombie-san only rolled his eyes at the blond's ditzy behaviour.

* * *

"Oji-san!" The Hokage was bombarded by the sound, before he was assaulted by one hyperactive chibi. "Hey, Naruto," He greeted, a small, gentle smile on his face. "Are you looking forward to the academy?"

The fox-boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! And then I'm gonna be the best and you will have to give me your hat!" He exclaimed, showing all his teeth in a wide smile.

Sarutobi had to suppress a chuckle at the rambunctious child. "I see, I see," He nodded to Naruto indulgently. "So how do you like your flat..."

His voice trailed off as he looked around.

This – was not the apartment he had given to the blonde ball of sunshine!

In fact, it was too big, too furnished, too – dare he say – _grand_ – for a kid like Naruto!

When he had been here last time, the flat was only moderately acceptable for living in, and he had to threaten people to properly maintain Naruto's little abode. In fact, he expected that he would have to do it again, what with winter coming around the corners. It was like some kind of a bizarre ritual. He had to do it every once in a while, to be sure that villagers treated the fox-boy at least half-decently. But with the council breathing down his neck, he couldn't do much. It broke his aging heart that he had to look the boy being so lonely and friendless, with some exceptions, but it couldn't be helped.

But this, now...

It made the old Hokage wary for some reason.

Were his prayers finally heeded...? Or was that an omen of disaster happening?

* * *

He followed the chattering child through the rooms to the kitchen. It made his old heart glad that the whisker-cheeked boy was for once cared for, but he was apprehensive about his... caretaker.

Naruto, of course, lauded praises about the man, but Sarutobi would rather check him personally. He had enough of bad experiences with the villagers and supposed – to-be caretakers of the little kitsune that this man rang alarm bells in his head.

"Oi! Zombie-san!" Naruto hollered out, making the man at the stove wince at the loud sound.

"Brat-" The man snarled out as he rounded at the loud nuisance. "How many times did I tell you to use indoor voice!"

Sarutobi bristled at the man's tone of voice. "There's no need to talk to him in such a way," He interjected, offended on Naruto's behalf.

Green eye zeroed on him. " _Hoo?_ Then, when he would become a shinobi – he would be soon a dead one," The man returned flippantly. "Besides, it shows a bad manners, along with having my ears ringing with pain."

Naruto winced at the remark. Sarutobi growled. "And who are you, if I may ask?"

The man turned around. "Nobody you would know." He retorted. "But I am here because I am indebted to the brat and I intend to take care of him."

Sarutobi's spine stiffened at the perceived threat. "You intend to _harm_ him?" He growled out.

The man turned, and Sarutobi finally saw him.

He was clad in black trousers with brown turtleneck, both items of clothes showing signs of use. His body was slim and toned, like that of a shinobi. He had on fingerless gloves, and on his wrists, he had bracelets. Around his slender hips, there was a black belt with two daggers and two strange L-shaped weapons.

His face was young, but with eyes of a hardened warrior. Or an eye, in that case. The gray-white hair was gathered in a ponytail at the back of the man's skull, with some fringe shadowing his forehead.

"If I wanted to harm the brat, I would have already done it, Hokage." The man told him matter-of-factly. He nodded to the table. "So, tea?"

"Of course," Sarutobi agreed amiably. In the back of his head, raged confusion. The man – Zombie-san - was obviously a soldier, judging by his weapons. For some reason, he was indebted to Naruto. That was good. What was bad, was that the man was an unknown one – Sarutobi knew his shinobi and at least by appearance, knew all the main threats as they were listed in Bingo Book – but that man was neither. His foreign accent – barely heard but there – also excluded the possibility of the man being a member of one of other villages.

"I've heard curious tale about a thing slaying a liger in the Forbidden Forest," Sarutobi began slowly. "Perhaps you know anything more about it?"

He saw the man stiffen slightly, but as soon as it came, it also passed.

"Zombie-san?" Naruto's voice was timid. "What is a liger?" The man blinked as he looked at the child. "It's an offspring of a tiger and a lion, thus the name." He answered shortly. He looked at Naruto eyeing his smoothie and smirked. "It's all yours, brat."

Naruto's face brightened with delight and he snatched the glass quickly. "Yay!" Half a moment later, he blissfully slurped the smoothie.

Sarutobi blinked. "Who are you and what have you done with Naruto?" He asked, amused. "Naruto as I knew him, wouldn't want to eat fruit in any kind, shape or form."

The man snorted. "I just introduced him to the wonders of smoothie – the mixed blend of different kinds of fruit. As for who I am..." He paused. "My name is not important. But if you have to call me something, then I am Koizumi Akito."

Sarutobi hummed thoughtfully. The name was common-or uncommon enough to draw attention. As far as he knew, there wasn't any clan with Koizumi surname, and as for a name, it wasn't often used so it distinguished the man from the crowd. Not that he would tell that to Koizumi- san – whatever advantage he had over the man, he would need it.

"My question?" He gently prodded the man, eyeing him sharply. Koizumi-san snorted. "I may know something about it. Long story short, that was my partner. He had to eat sometime, so I let him out to feed."

The old man blinked _. 'Let him out...?'_ He silently parroted the confusing sentence to himself. _'Why would he let his partner out, unless...'_

"You summon scared one of my shinobi." He commented dryly, making Koizumi-san snort in his cup of tea derisively. "Well, I _was_ told that he had that kind of an impression on the witnesses," He commented off-handedly. "However, you didn't come here just to chat about that liger-accident, were you?"

Sighing, Sarutobi nodded. "Partly. I came to check on Naruto, and I came to verify you." He admitted. Frankly, that beating-around-the-bush game was getting tiresome.

Koizumi smirked sarcastically. "So do I pass?" He asked mock-hopefully, making Sarutobi's eyes harden.

"No." The answer was short and candid.

If he hoped that would give him an advantage over Koizumi, he was in for a disappointment.

* * *

Harry stared into the man's eyes. The Hokage, he surmised, cared for the boy, but for some reason, he was prevented to actively help him. He was also suspicious of the ... liger accident... as they termed it. Harry was just glad that Hokage concluded the beast was a summon rather than other less... _savoury_ option.

But right now, the old man pissed him off.

"Naruto, go to your room," He ordered, without looking at the boy.

He heard the boy splutter. "B-But why?" The boy wailed out, confused.

"I and the old man have a bone to pick, and there are a couple of things you are not ready to hear, much less know, yet." Harry answered firmly. "So go to your room and don't come out before I call you. Understood?"

He ignored Naruto's pouting and grumbling.

Finally, the boy scampered off in his room, and absentmindedly, Harry erected the barrier as soon as he felt Naruto entering his room.

The pressure in the kitchen thickened, as they stared at each other.

"Listen, _Sarutobi_ ," Harry snarled out, the lone eye flashing red, making the Hokage back out slightly as he secretly did a few hand signs... just in case.

"For _some_ reason, you don't want Naruto to know that he houses furry little problem – "The Hokage snarled, leaping out of the chair.

"And how the _hell_ would you know about _that!"_ He barked out. "Tell me or – "

"You will kill me or let me on the mercy of Ibiki?" Harry concluded dryly, his previously dull teeth sharpening slightly. "Been there, done that, have a T – shirt to show it off," He commented flippantly, making the old man pale with dread.

* * *

"Y-You're the – " He stuttered as his brain froze for a moment. This just couldn't be possible! The one man all of the ANBU was frantically searching for was hiding below their very noses – and not only that, he managed – _somehow_ – find out the S-class secret that should never, ever be found!

And to the top of it all, the same man somehow got the trust of their resident Jinchuuriki – so much trust that the said boy willingly let the man live in his flat!

...No _wonder_ they couldn't find the bastard. Nobody thought to look to the village pariah.

"Yes, I am ... _Cookie_ ," Harry's eyebrow twitched at the nickname I&T division stuck him with. His hand shot out and caught the kunai the old man shot at him.

Letting out an annoyed snarl, he bound the man with modified _Petrificius_ Curse. "You are one stubborn son of a bitch. If I wanted to, I could have offed you more times than I can count. Luckily for you, the brat cares for you – what for, I don't know, especially because you can't wipe your ass, much less help one kid be safe in this idiot village of yours!" He growled into Sarutobi's face.

"Now... Will you hear me out or do I have to use more... _persuasive_ methods?" He asked silkily after a moment of tense silence.

The man nodded and Harry released the binding. "Ask and I shall answer... within a reason." Harry muttered out gruffly.

The Hokage stared at him for a long time. "You care for Naruto, don't you?" He asked quietly. Harry nodded. "The brat reminds me of myself," He admitted fondly. "Besides, the kid is not responsible for the crimes the furball had done when he was a baby."

Dark eyes softened at the admission. Then, they hardened again. "How did you escape the prison?" Harry barked a laugh. "Do you really think nobody could get out? As for how, it was a family jutsu. As I am the only one to know and use it, you need not to worry about the safety of the village."

He watched, amused as Hokage's face went through a range of emotions. Annoyance, anger, dismay and consternation mixed on the stern face of the village leader.

"Right," Sarutobi managed to get out. "That's one concern less. Next – why did you attempt to sneak into the village?"

Harry blinked. " _Sneak_ into village?" He parroted, confused. "I didn't attempt to sneak into village. I just came here – not even knowing where that _'here'_ is, when I was grabbed by Inu and Karasu and dragged off to the interrogation."

* * *

Sarutobi gaped. If what the stranger – no, Koizumi-san, - told him was true...The confusion on the man's face seemed to be honest, and Sarutobi's instincts railed for him to, for some reason, trust the man.

Koizumi-san was a dangerous man. He had caught the kunai Sarutobi had thrown to him effortlessly, and then, petrified him with some kind of a jutsu.

It was an embarrassing position. Him, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage of Konohagakure and lauded as a God of Shinobi, being caught by one no-name smooth- cheeked brat as if he were a Genin! Privately, he admitted to himself that no opponent in his long career as being shinobi came so quickly to the point to killing him. More like slaughtering like a trussed-up turkey, but that was beside the point.

"So you didn't - ?" He tried again, just to be sure.

* * *

Koizumi-san scoffed. "How could I? I was in no state to do so – I was injured, lost blood from the fighting and had a power suppressor on, and was deported to some unknown place – my first action would be taking the care of my wounds and safety! Besides, I didn't even know that the village existed!"

Sarutobi's eyebrows furrowed. "The report said otherwise," He said slowly. "Karasu reported that you didn't answer the questions, and upon searching you, they didn't found the passport – "

"Wrong," Koizumi interrupted him coldly. "They jumped on me. I was disoriented by the time – place displacement, weak from fighting and – admittedly – wearing blood-soaked clothes, along with being twitchy from just having finished the war – _of course_ I would react violently." He snarled, turning to the window. "I didn't have a passport of any kind because I didn't think I would need it. As for... questioning me, there wasn't any questioning as far as I remember."

Sarutobi's jaw clenched. "Do you take my men for liars?" He asked dangerously.

Green eye flashed at him. "Liars, no. Half-wit brains, yes," He bit out harshly. "If they are as good as you proclaim them to be, they should have _known_ that jumping on a high- strung soldier would result in... _unpleasant_ surprises."

Sarutobi deflated. As much as he wanted to defend his ANBU, even he knew they had the moments they behaved completely out of whack.

And with village security being high because of unsuccessful kidnapping of Hinata Hyuuga, there were overzealous arrests of any fishy – looking people that sniffled around the corner of Konoha too much for ANBU's liking.

"So why didn't you just..." He motioned to Koizumi helplessly, "I don't know, _say so?"_

The man stared at him. "...I could," He admitted, making Sarutobi face vault. "They wouldn't believe me, paranoid as they were, and second, it would rouse more questions than I would be comfortable to answer."

Sarutobi couldn't help himself. He gaped. _"You..."_ His voice was strangled, "... were _three_ months under T &I mercies, just because you were too stubborn to yap out too much information on yourself?" He muttered out weakly.

At the man's nod, Sarutobi had to sit back on the chair. _'This man... just what is he?' _He thought to himself, stunned. The shinobi part of him salivated over such a dedication. There were not many people who would do what this young man in front of him had done.

And whoever would have his loyalty... Sarutobi closed his eyes.

' _Naruto... I don't know, but you sure fucking lucked out with that one...'_

* * *

Harry stared at the defeated man. Sarutobi's reasoning was on its last legs, and both of them knew it.

"So... Why wouldn't you let me take care of the brat?" Harry asked, this time honestly curious.

The Hokage grimaced. "I don't know if I can trust you with him," He told Harry bluntly. "You appeared suddenly – how can I be sure you don't intend to steal Naruto away and turn him against Konoha?" The old man stated grimly. "With Naruto's... furry little problem, he is a walking, talking target, and even more so, it's only a matter of time when it would come to _... that_. Add in his heritage and my hands are bound."

Harry nodded slowly. "I understand." He said thoughtfully. "You are powerless, because the council is against you, and even more, the villagers are against Naruto. As for shinobi, they are hard to trust because their experience with fighting the beast is still live in their minds. So they could easily confuse the monster with the kid. You have no one strong enough to take care of the kid and at the same time, take care of themselves, just in case. " He scoffed at the gaping Hokage.

"H – How?" Sarutobi was truly stumped.

Harry snorted. "You don't survive long in the war and politics without knowing at least something about it. " He said derisively. "Back home, I was the Commander of the Light and Head of two Ancient Houses." He smirked bitterly. "Not that it stopped them betraying me in the end..." He whispered to himself lowly, but Sarutobi heard it.

Harry looked at the aging Hokage. "Old man, I know you don't trust me, and you know I don't trust you. So let's agree to disagree on that issue. However... for my people, the life debt is a serious issue. When Naruto saved me, he made a life debt. I can only repay it with saving him from the life – threatening situation or by serving him. When I say by serving him, that means I cannot turn on him, or I will lose my life."

Sarutobi's eyes bugged out at the severity of the situation. _"Really?"_ He nearly squeaked out. Harry nodded solemnly. "Secondly, I was once in a similar situation as he is now. As I see the situation, you have two ways of him turning out – that he would become a good person, or the pressure would break him, turning him into a tyrant. And with the furball in him..." He trailed off, making Sarutobi shudder, as the old man imagined the chaos this venue of life would cause.

Green eyes stared at the Hokage. "On the other side, you have me. I am bound to Naruto, like it or not. Until I fulfil the life debt, I will be here. I am loyal to Naruto – not to Council, not to you, but the fox-brat here. I will teach him, I will protect him, I will support him until I will be sure he wouldn't be killed over a stupid mistake made either by himself, his peers or villagers. "

Harry grinned a wild, cruel grin. "And if anyone tries to mess with us..." He whispered, his scratchy voice gaining a sibilant hissing undertone, "they will _beg_ to be let in Hell soon enough."

* * *

Sarutobi shuddered at the merciless words Koizumi Akito uttered out.

He suddenly had an urge to go to the temple and pray for the poor, poor souls that would piss off the duo.

Suddenly, he decided.

"Alright, Koizumi-san," He spoke out. "Your job will be guarding and teaching Naruto Uzumaki... and you will answer to no one else but me. Your rank will be Tokubetsu ANBU – the only one with this rank. Your call sign will be – "

"Chimera." Harry interrupted the aging man, his grin widening a smidge.

The Hokage smirked, as he offered the man a hand to shake. "Well," His face gained the same feral grin Harry currently wore on his lips.

"Welcome to Konoha, Himera-san."

* * *

All over the village and beyond, the Konoha ninjas felt an unpleasant shudder skitter up their spines. It was an omen of things to come, and some of the more experienced of the bunch already began to dread the change.

As for the Council, they couldn't help but feel that someone was dancing on their graves.

Later on today, Hokage was cheerfully humming as he stepped to the Council Chamber, making the three advisors feel wary of the old man. Sarutobi _NEVER_ hummed when he walked to the Council Room – today, however, the man was almost skipping to the dreaded place, making Nara Shikaku silently groan in anticipation of troublesome, and one Uchiha Fugaku felt the beginnings of a very bad migraine in the back of his head.

Whatever hare brained scheme the old man thought up now, it didn't bode well for the Council.

However, nobody had seen the shade behind the Hokage slink into the Council room and joining the shadows.

Had they noticed it, they would be forewarned of the oncoming storm of changes in the shape of one Koizumi Akito, Special ANBU Himera and from now on, the one and only guardian of the mischievous fox-boy named Uzumaki Naruto.

Let the games begin.

* * *

**_/To Be Continued/_ **


	4. Council Showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own characters of Naruto or Harry Potter, nor do I own the little nifty bit o' lyrics used. As for the song, go to the YouTube to hear it out. (Suggest you to listen to it, is one of my faves)
> 
> Shout Out: Well, Happy Early Easter... ahem. /clears throat/ . Because you mercilessly prodded me, there is a new chapter with our beloved characters. Fire and Ice was, as I promised, updated (last week), so I had to delay updating Among the Hawks and Doves. This month and the next, I will be fully busy, so don't expect updates soon. /grumbles/
> 
> Additionally: I&T named Harry Cookie because he was a tough cookie – metaphorically speaking, but because this was a mouthful... well, you know. Lazy bastards shortened the name into Cookie. Short and sweet, no?
> 
> Chimera/Himera: I went out on a limb here, and I wrote Harry's nickname as I perceived it in hearing. Because 'chimera' sounds more of 'himera' when you speak it (generally,) Hiruzen called Harry Himera, because this word didn't exist before – meaning they don't know what Himera is. So he went on the hearing and tweaked it a bit to his language, in that case Japanese. I am not expert on Japanese language, so excuse me if used translation isn't entirely correct. As it stands, Harry's ANBU name will be henceforth written as Himera.
> 
> As for Harry being super powered, he will have to find out about chakra, reign in his magic...he will have heckload of troubles still. His only advantage at the moment is that he knows – at least partially – his enemies' abilities (shinobi), but they don't know a whit about his.
> 
> Thank you for your inquiries, reviews and suggestions. I am happy you are interested in this story.  
> Warnings: SLASH pairing, meaning Akito (Harry)/Ibiki, and a little bashing of the council, shinobi and civilian a little. Harry shows his political colours, but the whole wham-bam is still pending. Also, Ibiki finds out...!

 

* * *

**_CHAPTER THREE - Council Showdown_ **

_Show me how to lie  
You're getting better all the time  
And turning all against the one  
Is an art that's hard to teach_

_Another clever word  
Sets off an unsuspecting herd  
And as you step back into line  
A mob jumps to their feet_

_(Offspring – You're Gonna Go Far, Kid)_

* * *

The atmosphere in the council chambers was tense. Not that it wasn't first time both civilian and shinobi council squared off – or better, when Sarutobi was playing the proverbial bitch to Koharu and Homura's wishes. It was almost pathetic to watch, the God of Shinobi bowing down to demands of the civilian council, all for the sake of keeping the equilibrium that was already shaken as it was.

The shinobi part of the council was quietly dissatisfied with how Sarutobi was leading the politics, especially the heads of the main clans of the village. Fugaku was a grouchy one, as he didn't hide that Sarutobi's way of dealing with the problems was not satisfying, but even he was walking the fraying rope, what with the Uchiha clan being accused of instigating Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. It didn't help that among all the clans, Uchihas lost the least number of ninjas in the bijuu's attack.

The second powerhouse was Hyuuga Hiashi. He was a bitter man – cold as ice, and with his faith in Hokage had been shattered by recent happenings of Kumo attempting to kidnap Hinata. Because of Konoha being weak as it was from Kyuubi's attack, they couldn't afford to spark up another war, resulting in having to comply with Kumo's demands about reparation, even if Hiashi had been within his rights as a father to protect his child.

Even if it had been- what- three months and a week from that unfortunate happening, Hiashi was still sore about it. It didn't help that Neji had begun to hate the main house of Hyuuga out of principle, and Hiashi was forbidden to tell him the true reason why his father – Hizashi – died.

Inuzuka Tsume was badgering obviously uncomfortable Inoichi, with clearly hapless Chouza attempting to play peacemaker. So far; no such luck. Kuromaru was dozing at her feet peacefully, but Sarutobi knew, if there was a danger, the canine would be up and about in a jiffy.

Aburame Shibi was sitting calmly with Kurama Murakamo, quietly conversing about... _something._

Nara Shikaku was awake for a change- meaning, that the Jounin Commander was aware that something would change and that something would be... troublesome.

The civilian council was buzzing and murmuring among themselves, as usual. Haruno Kaede was presiding over her little band of sycophants - Haruno family were merchants that supplied Konoha with iron due to their connections with Iron country. Shigarashi Mito was small, fat man that was here because he manufactured the fabric. There were some other people, but Haruno, Shigarashi and Homura with Koharu presented the major block on Sandaime's decisions concerning the village or rather... the _lack_ of decisions concerning one particular individual in that particular village.

However, the shade was more concerned with the presence – or lack thereof – of one Himura Danzo. From Sarutobi's description, Danzo would be one of the opponents he would have to look out for – Naruto, if Danzo got him in his claws, would be an ultimate weapon, answering only to Danzo.

The sheer thought about that possibility raised the shade's hackles. He knew all about being a weapon _'for the greater good'_ and it wasn't pretty. He had come out of the war damaged – more so as he would like to acknowledge, and he would be damned if he would allow the fox brat suffer the same fate.

But for Danzo not being here, it was bad news...

He focused his attention back to the Hokage.

The entire thing was incredibly dull – hashing out through the taxes, squabbling about the academy training and how to respond to the Fire Daimyo about... certain matters, i.e. getting more funding.

Usually, Sarutobi would get a headache even before they would reach the middle of the agenda, but right now, he was looking forward on throwing the proverbial piranha among the fat, juicy, helpless craps.

"Hokage-sama, about the brat – "The man quickly coughed and changed his wording at receiving Hokage's cold glare "Uzumaki Naruto..." He managed to ground out.

Sarutobi exhaled a long-suffering sigh. "Well?" He asked dully. He knew, only too well, that the civilians hated the blonde ball of sunshine. Only his threat about sending the perpetrators that hated the fox-boy in any way, shape or form to Ibiki, held the more vengeful of the bay from Naruto – but that didn't mean Naruto suffered any less.

"We oppose to the... _boy_... being sent to the Academy. He's already a menace to the society, and he has no guardian – "

"Why, thank you for your concern, " Sarutobi smoothly interrupted the civilian, rubbing the bridge of his nose as to stave off the headache. "So do you volunteer to house him?" He inquired mildly, causing the man to sputter.

" _No!_ Uh – I mean - I don't have time and place for him – "The shinobi council listened, half-amused and half-exasperated at the man's digging his proverbial hole even deeper.

"Besides," Haruno Kaede interrupted her hapless fellow sternly, "Even if he wanted to, the Uzumaki brat would have to have a guardian outside of you to enrol him." She ended smugly as she smiled her thin smile. The shade was unpleasantly reminded of Petunia Dursley – the shrew was almost the same, except that she had bright pink hair and didn't have horse face. However, she had repugnant attitude, even more so, as his dearly – _not_ – deceased aunt.

He saw Sarutobi make a sour face. Anyone else wouldn't have seen it, but for him it was relatively easy to discern the lines. Every Slytherin – even an honorary one – knew the _Body Language 101._ And having been working with his... allies, he had perfected this ability to almost perfection. Apparently, this issue was a sore point for the Hokage.

"Ah. And if he had it?" Hokage muttered out.

His quiet words were heard by all people in the room.

The tension thickened. "What do you mean, Sarutobi?" Koharu demanded loudly, her old voice still firm. "You know that the clans are forbidden to take the boy in, and civilians are forbidden too. _What did you do now?"_

Sarutobi stiffened at the accusation. "You are forgetting something, Koharu," He answered, his voice low and dangerous. "You are not a Hokage. _I am._ Therefore, I can decide without your helpful... _input,"_ He concluded sardonically. "About Naruto's...placement, I was aware of the troubles before I made the decision. Therefore..."

The shinobi tensed at Sarutobi's pause. Whatever the old man had decided, it would change it all... for better or worse.

* * *

"Naruto already has a guardian."

A thunderstruck silence followed those words.

Nobody could comprehend those five words at first. They all heard them, yes. They understood them, yes... But for brat already having a guardian that wasn't a clan head, or Konoha civilian...

Sarutobi couldn't adopt the brat, that was a given. He could protect him – _it_ – to a degree, but that was all. Of course, if he had pushed, the Hokage could've adopted the brat, but for what price?

" _What?"_ The first to speak was- surprisingly- Aburame Shibi. That only cemented the fact it wasn't a delusion of their minds further in the council members' heads.

Sarutobi hummed in agreement. "Yes," he commented lightly.

"Why didn't you tell us, then?" Uchiha Fugaku snapped out peeved. "Unlike you, some of us don't have time to frolic around, Sarutobi!" The shade could see the vein on man's temple throb painfully, as Fugaku fought not to activate the Sharingan.

"Are you taking us for fools?" Homura added quietly, dark eyes boring into Sarutobi as if trying to find out just what had their erstwhile, foolish leader, done _now._

Sarutobi's lips thinned, making his teammate stiffen with dread. "You were taking me for a fool long enough," He retorted quietly. "If that continued, we would have an unstable child on our hands, and you know what the consequences would be. Minato – kun was good with seals, I give him that, but not even the strongest seal in the world would do any good if the container releases ...the thing which they contain." He answered dully, as if fed up of repeating that particular phrase. "Despite of you believing the opposite, Naruto – kun is just a boy, tasked with bearing a terrible burden." Dark eyes flashed forebodingly.

"You gave me no choice. You elected the laws which disabled good people from adopting Naruto-kun and giving him stable home and a family. Because I doubt that you would be willing to rescind the laws, I was forced to adopt extreme measures." He leaned his chin on folded palms, as he prepared to unleash the fury of the mob on one man.

"Koizumi-san, would you come out?" he called out, making shinobi jump on their feet as the shade came out.

* * *

" ** _Who the hell are you!"_** Inuzuka Tsume bellowed out as Kuromaru jumped on his feet and snarled at the newcomer, his hackles rising.

The situation would be comical if other clan heads hadn't been prepared to annihilate the intruder on the spot. Both Uchiha and Hyuuga clan head had their bloodlines activated and Aburame's kikaichi buzzed around Shibi dangerously.

" _STAND DOWN!"_ The Hokage bellowed out, his eyebrow twitching with irritation. He could understand their paranoia – he would be spooked too, if he found out that someone was close enough to kill him for three hours and... _doing nothing._

Nothing could spook seasoned shinobi worse than finding out that if it had been a hostile situation, they would have been dead as doornails many times over. This was an ultimate insult to them as professionals of their trade and clan heads.

The man was clothed in dark blue turtleneck that hugged the contours of his body and slightly loose black pants with barely visible black belt on and some... weapons. On his hands, he had fingerless black gloves and his feet were clad in knee-high boots, indicating that he was definitely a foreigner. His forearms were protected via arm guards made form some kind of bluish – white metal that were obviously carefully crafted, but not embellished.

His hair was a mix of gray and white and pulled into a high ponytail with some strands framing the stern face. One of his eyes was missing, as he was wearing the eye patch, but the other one was green – so green it reminded Tsume of emeralds. Or better, green diamonds, with how hard it was.

His hands were nonchalantly crossed on his chest as he looked over the spooked people, before zeroing on Kuromaru.

The man and the beast stared into each other orbs for what seemed to be an eternity, before Kuromaru whined – _whined!_ – and settled down on the floor.

That stumped the witnesses. Tsume herself was baffled. "Kuromaru?" He asked her companion quietly. For Kuromaru, to cower like this... it was unusual. Hell, Kuromaru _NEVER_ cowered before the random stranger, but this one –

She watched the silent man warily.

That action made the shinobi half of the council a little bit more relaxed, but they were still wary of the stranger.

* * *

Sarutobi sighed, exasperated. While it was amusing to see Koizumi-san spook the council witless, time was money and he still didn't finish reading _Icha Icha Paradise no.4_. And he wanted to know if Mito got Yuna-chan and Eri-chan to participate in threesome...

He cleared his throat, diverting his attention to the more serious matters.

"Ahem. Koizumi – san recently returned from his mission for his clan," Sarutobi explained slowly. "Naruto – kun had done him a favour, and he is – by his clan's code - obliged to return it. Koizumi-san decided to return it by taking care of Naruto – kun."

The murmurs of the crowd began anew. "There's no clan named Koizumi in Konoha, Sarutobi."Hyuuga Hiashi snapped out. "Just why are you trying to bullshit us?"

The civilians gasped at the Hyuuga's head uncouth language. Even Fugaku had a mite bit wider eyes at Hiashi's language – but that only showed how... _spooked_ his fellow Doujutsu user was.

Sarutobi stared in Hiashi's eyes sternly. True, it was no mean feat, but it made Hyuuga back away a little.

"Are you claiming you know _everyone_ in Konohagakure?" His voice was level. Hiashi made to speak, but Sarutobi waved him away. "Do you truly know every man, woman, child and baby in Konoha? _Outside_ of Hyuuga clan, of course."

Much to Sarutobi's satisfaction, Hyuuga kept his mouth shut.

"He is not from Konoha," Fugaku noted coldly, stopping Sarutobi's offense flat.

* * *

Akito looked at the Uchiha clan head. "Of course I am not," He agreed mildly. "However, that doesn't mean I am not indebted to Uzumaki. Say or do whatever you want, but I have obligations to uphold. And one of them is being a Guardian to Uzumaki Naruto. My clan code allows no less."

"I commend your devotion," Fugaku began silkily, "But you are a) A stranger and maybe a spy, b) Your clan is virtually unknown, and c) We do not know your loyalties.

He watched the man sharply as he recited his... faults. Truthfully, he would like the man to adopt the blond nuisance, because it would lessen his workload by great margin, but he still disliked giving a potential powerhouse away to the virtual stranger just on Hokage's whim.

The man had on, through Fugaku's entire tirade, a poker face that slightly impressed Fugaku... and made him even warier. An opponent, who had a hold of their emotions like that, was a dangerous one.

The man slowly smirked. "And I reiterate, Uchiha-san; a) You will just have to trust your Hokage that I am indeed trustworthy and not a... _spy,"_ He mused sardonically "Then b) I agree with that, but it's because I am the last one of my clan. And don't try to find out which one, because all of them are dead and buried." That made the shinobi's half stiffen in their seats, and the civilian one back away from the obviously deranged man. "And c) My loyalty lies with my charge, in this case, one Uzumaki Naruto. " Green eye stared in two red and black ones.

"Attacking either one of us would be... _unadvisable_." He muttered out softly as his eye sharpened as he looked into the clan head's eyes.

"And why is that? You can't keep the demon safe at every turn," One of the civilians sneered out; making his colleagues murmur in approval and shinobi clan heads look at them with disapproval.

* * *

Koizumi hummed thoughtfully. "Ah... You mean his furry little problem?" He asked mildly, making Aburame Shibi choke on air and Tsume grinning wildly at his phrasing.

" _Furry little –_ " Fugaku mumbled out disbelievingly. That... Koizumi fellow sure had an... _Unique_ outlook at the strongest bijuu in existence. However, that cinched it. Koizumi knew of it and he saw the brat only as a two-legged nuisance instead of a four-legged one.

They saw Koizumi turn to the civilian and stare at him flatly. The fat man cringed in his chair as if he was pressured by... something. Or, in this case someone.

"People like you are the reason that keeps useless prejudices afloat," Koizumi said flatly. "Because of people like you, who see only what they want to see and pressure others into seeing the same for your own selfish gain - because of such people, there are wars and honest people suffering. Your eyes may as well be blind, because you don't wish, nor do you want to see the true state of things."

Koizumi didn't move from his place as he spoke. His voice was soft, but everyone heard it. It made the clan heads alternatively intrigued and irked, because this stranger dared to speak as if he were passing the heaven's verdict on the now shaking civilian.

"Y-You! H- How dare you!" The civilian man stammered out. "You've never seen, never experienced that – that demon's – "

Koizumi stared at him. "No, I did not," He agreed calmly, making the man smirking in triumph. "But if anyone has a reason to be vengeful against Kyuubi, it would be shinobi themselves." That got the clan leaders' attention. "They fought against the fox, their comrades- their wives, cousins, nephews, sons, daughters and husbands died so that civilians would have time enough to get to safety. You lost your shop – " He snorted derisively. "Truly, what a _devastating_ loss you've suffered, while shinobi lost their lives. Yes, you should mourn the loss of your shop, because it was worth so much _more_ than their lives, shouldn't you?" He sneered at the rapidly paling civilian. "Because of that, you disregard the last order of your leader who sacrificed himself so that you can live happily and comfortably – you _disregard_ his last order, to see the boy as he _is,_ and not the fox which he _contains!"_ Koizumi spat out, his lone eye blazing with inner fire, making the merchant wince.

The silence was deafening.

The Hokage's voice was quiet. "All in favour of Koizumi Akito being guardian of Uzumaki Naruto?"

The shinobi half outvoted the civilians by a large margin. Surprisingly, the first to vote in favour of Koizumi-san were Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuuga Hiashi.

* * *

"Koizumi-san... will you allow Uzumaki Naruto to attend the Academy?" Sarutobi asked the man as they walked to Hokage's tower for Koizumi to fill in guardianship documents.

It was funny that the villagers didn't take notice of the man that accompanied their Hokage, and a little worrisome, too. That just showed how dangerous could Koizumi-san be – if the man hadn't excluded the Hokage from the Charm, Sarutobi wouldn't have noticed the young man until it would be too late and even then –

Green eye looked at him fleetingly. "No. Not now." The man muttered back as he skilfully avoided the collision with the civilian girl who was running after the puppy.

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. "And why not?" he countered back. "You are aware that the civilian council is at the end of their patience, are you?"

Koizumi sighed. "I said _not now_." He repeated with forced patience. "Enrolling him now would be tantamount to disaster. The brat can't defend himself even if his life depended on it. And whatever faith you have in Academy instructors, I don't share it. They are more likely to try and stump the boy's growth by any means. And the brat, attention-starved as he is, would respond with pranks and jokes, thus wasting valuable time when he could learn to be a good shinobi." He murmured, making Sarutobi's eyes widen in comprehension.

"Ah..."Sarutobi nodded. "You intend to home-school him, then?"

The tiny pebbles crunched under his feet as he walked, occasionally greeting the villagers. Curiously, his companion's footfalls were soundless.

"Partly, yes. The brat will still attend the school, but he would not be enrolled into the Academy until I give the say-so." Koizumi's voice was scratchy, like a purr of some great feline. "I intend to pound into his thick skull at least the basics of defence and manners." He murmured thoughtfully.

Sarutobi nodded, humming thoughtfully. "I agree." He murmured back. "However, where would you teach him? The village isn't exactly the best place, and the Forbidden Forest is too dangerous."

Koizumi-san snorted derisively. "The Forbidden Forest is a playground in comparison with the things I've gone through. And don't worry about the place. Though, if I see the silver – haired Cyclops snooping around again, I will not let him go off scot-free as I had before."

Sarutobi gaped for a moment, before he chuckled. "I should have known," He mused thoughtfully. "Your summon would have told you about that...incident." Koizumi-san didn't deny the accusation, nor did he confirm it. "By the way, what kind of summon do you have?" Sarutobi asked, curious.

Green eye blinked. "It's best for you to not know anything," He answered cryptically. "It is my partner and all I can say about it is that it's not native to this country. Also, it claimed the Forbidden Forest as it's place so send your shinobi here at their own peril."

Dark eyes narrowed. "Is it really so dangerous?" Sarutobi asked quietly, only for Koizumi to bark out a short laugh that chilled the old man's bones.

"You have no idea," Koizumi said sardonically. "And pray to the heavens I never have to summon it in the fight."

* * *

Closing his eyes, Harry sighed wearily. He had let the Hokage throw him to proverbial wolves in the name of that blonde brat Harry was now legally responsible for taking care of. Once again, he was under his disguise – it wouldn't do to show all cards at once, would it? It would be harder for the would-be idiots and assassins to attack the brat if they didn't have a definite idea of just who was Uzumaki's guard dog. Not that Harry had any illusions that his little charade would last long – but at least he had Hokage on his side now and if that wouldn't stop the fools from I&T department, then pure brute force would. He smirked dangerously at the thought. Especially that Anko bitch would _rue_ the day she tortured him. He still owed her a 'bout of _Cruccio_ or two for his eye...

Snorting at his thoughts he headed to the school. Naruto would be out in twenty minutes or so, and Harry didn't want to risk the civilians – or some misguided belief that they could still harm the chibi and got away without repercussions.

He ambled through the streets lazily, idly looking at the surroundings and people. He had noticed shinobi mixing in with civilians, although some of them had that curious red and black symbol on their vests. He noticed one of them catching the would-be troublemaker and reprimanding him. Sighing, he averted his attention to more important things.

From what he could discern, this little village – in his opinion, of course, was Konoha. The village was hustling and bustling with civilians and shinobi alike, reminding Harry a little about Diagon Alley – just not so exuberant and, dare he mention, exotic looking. Curiously, the citizens were not depending on electricity as much as his world had – in fact, in some of aspects the life in this little village was comparable to living in out-of-whack Heian period. Not that Harry knew about that particular time period, but that was his advantage at the moment. It meant that his blending into the masses would be more successful that way. In high-tech cultures, the outsiders or intruders were found out relatively easily, what with the ID-cards and all the documentation, but here, he could be just his self.

Nobody would know about the Slayer of Voldemort, Chimera or his... _curse._ He casually dodged the kunai from one of the shinobi, not heeding the ruckus that exploded behind his back. His awareness hadn't diminished. Even if he was irritated with the fact that he had to be on guard every moment, Harry wouldn't have it any other way. He was still high strung from his not so recent arrival in this world and in fact, he looked less suspicious in a bunch of equally paranoid bastards than he would have in his previous world.

He headed to the school calmly. The kids were playing in the park - some in a sandbox, three girls were cooing over their dolls and some boys were rough-housing around as a shinobi in a crude version of robbers and cops.

Fairly normal game, except they were using blunt wooden kunais and swords – and the fact that the adults didn't see anything wrong with playing with potentially lethal objects, was the only thing that was glaringly obvious that this was this kind of behaviour was expected and approved in that nuthouse of a society.

Harry would have shuddered at the implications – but with him, having been turned into a live weapon at the tender age of one, even if he had became real live weapon much, much later, he didn't have any scruples about their game. Heck, where he came from, wands were weapons if used in that regard. Curses, enchantments, jinxes, the list was endless.

He looked at the Hokage Mountain, idly comparing it with Mount Rushmore he once saw on photograph in one of Dudley's encyclopaedias for kiddies. He blinked as one of the faces seemed to be very, almost unerringly so, similar to the chibi's. "Yondaime, huh?" He muttered to himself under his breath. "For a bastard, your looks are scarily similar to those of the brat." He disregarded the face in the mountain afterwards, not knowing that this particular comment was very, very close to the truth.

The day was marginally warm, and a tepid wind was blowing across the streets. However, in the air, there already hung the scent of the approaching snow.

The school he headed to was a white building with two stories. It was nothing special – stern, stark lines were only enhanced with the lack of greenery, likening the school more to a prison than anything else.

There were already some parents there, picking up their children and indulgently listening to their chatter. It was easily discern which ones were civilians and whose had been trained as shinobi. To Harry, it was almost a second nature to discern the threats now, and he definitely had to know what he would be dealing with in the not too far off future.

"Um, excuse me..." The voice behind him diverted Harry's attention to the speaker.

"Yes?" Harry turned to the man, his eyebrow arched slightly.

The man who called him was obviously a shinobi, and judging by his flak jacket, he was a Chuunin. Not that Harry would know for sure - the man could be a Jounin for all he cared. The man was a little taller than him, but not by much. He blushed under Harry's gaze and fidgeted a little. Even as relaxed as he was, Harry still was an intimidating persona for some reason.

Harry blinked. The man had lightly tanned skin and a scar across his nose. His hair was bound into a high ponytail that reminded the wizard of a pineapple for some reason. Brown eyes were gentle and for a moment, Harry thought he was looking into Remus' eyes.

"Remus?" He inquired softly. Those brown eyes blinked, confused. "Um, what?" The voice was kind but more than a mite confused.

Harry had to mentally shake himself. "Sir?" The man in front of him asked worriedly. "Are you – are you alright?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Yes. It's just that, you reminded me of one of my comrades." He spoke back quietly, still shaken to his core. To see Remus' eyes looking at him from the face of a stranger - he couldn't stomach it right away. Once more, he was forcibly reminded of the people he unwillingly left behind.

"A – Alright!" The shinobi stuttered. "Um – you need help?" He asked again, flushing with embarrassment. "Um, I am Umino Iruka, pleased to met you!"

Harry's lips quirked into amused smile as he watched the fretting man. "Same here, Umino-san. " He retorted back. "Well, I am searching for one Uzumaki Naruto." He noticed the shadow passing across Umino-san's face. But as soon as he noticed it, the shadow also vanished.

"Oh, okay." Umino said brightly. "Uzumaki is training with his class – "He turned and motioned to man to follow him. "And may I ask your name?" Harry blinked slowly. "Koizumi Akito." He told the scar-faced shinobi calmly. "I am the official guardian of the brat."

He heard the strangled mix of a choke and yelp emanating from the man. "Wha - ?" Wide brown eyes looked at him." _But - !"_

Harry sighed. "Despite of what you think about the brat, he is not a monster. Attention – seeking brat, yes, but he's harmless otherwise." He deadpanned calmly. "I don't see nine tails sticking out of his butt and even if they would have, there would sooner be a cold day in Hell before I would allow the brat to be anything like his furry little problem," He concluded sardonically, making Iruka grind his teeth with frustration.

* * *

"Koizumi-san, you don't understand," Iruka began calmly. Dull green eyes looked at him calmly. "Uzumaki is dangerous – "Iruka was interrupted with a derisive snort.

"With all due _respect,_ Umino, you don't have a fucking _clue_ about danger," The man said to the irate Chuunin bluntly. "You may have delusions that you do, but there are more dangerous things living in the world than that oversized plushy of a fox you are so terrified of. One of them was your late Yondaime Hokage. He defeated the fox _despite_ of its insurmotable power. True, the method he used took his life, but the point I am trying to make is that a _mere_ _human_ was more dangerous than a Bijuu.

Iruka had to grudgingly admit the man's point. "But Uzumaki is a –he houses that _thing_ and - " He tried to explain. "If it influenced him – "

"So you admit they are two separate entities," Koizumi interrupted him again. "As for influencing the brat, what proof do you have? Did he kill anybody? Did he show any signs of being mentally imbalanced? Sure, he _is_ retarded sometimes, but at his age, all the kids are to some extent, and you can't expect better from him, considering that he lived on his own for so long."

There was a small pause as they were striding to the playground. Iruka's mind was whirling with the man's strange...defence of the Kyuubi brat. As much as it irked him, the man was right... even if he was an arrogant douche bag. Iruka's lips tightened into a thin line of disapproval.

"It isn't any of your business, Koizumi-san." He bit out harshly, making some of witnesses looking at him with wide eyes.

Usually, Iruka was mellow and easy to get with person, and it was truly a feat to find someone the last of Umino clan truly disliked.

This man... seemed to be such a person.

The pair arrived to the small training ground – where the children were taught some rudimentary Taijutsu. Iruka suppressed a smirk when he saw the fox brat fighting against the Inuzuka kid... and losing.

The calls of the children were not encouraging to the little blond chibi. In fact, whatever they were doing, they were rooting for the feral child that was grinning smugly at the downed container.

He looked back at the Koizumi fellow, barely schooling his face in appropriate concern. "Koizumi-san...You do know that Uzumaki intends to be a shinobi?" He asked quietly. Receiving a grunt of confirmation, he smiled a soft, gentle smile.

"I'm afraid he doesn't have any capabilities to become one." Iruka concluded smugly, his fake smile vanishing under fake frown.

Green eyes looked at the two brawling boys.

"Hnnn." The man grunted out again. "Well, he _has_ the attention span of a house fly," Koizumi agreed dryly, making Iruka snort with amusement.

"However, I don't think that Academy style of Taijutsu fits him." Koizumi muttered thoughtfully, making Iruka tense.

' _Oh, crap.'_

* * *

Harry was watching the brawl critically. Naruto was having the shit beaten out of him, what with the dog boy's advantage. He already spotted gaps in his defence, incorrect stances and clumsiness that could only come from stunted teaching.

Besides, the dog kid was using another style – unlike anything Harry had seen in his life. He was still awkward with it, but he was ferocious and strong enough to make it count. However, Harry supposed the brash approach would have to be knocked out of the dogboy's thick skull if they intended him to survive on the battlefield.

Sighing, he strode to the kids.

" ** _Brat!"_**

He barked out, successfully startling the children out of their little bloodthirsty world.

* * *

The two little brawlers screeched to a stop at hearing the authoritative voice. Two pairs of eyes swivelled into the voice's direction, before Naruto yelped with excitement and somehow managed to dislodge Kiba off of him in favour of him bouncing to the green-eyed man.

"Zombie-san!" he excitedly yipped out. "You came!" The blonde's face was dirty, bloody but with a huge smile painted on, that for once, looked to be sincere.

'Zombie-san' snorted. "I promised you, didn't I?" He asked rhetorically, before grabbing the boy for the back of his jacket and lifting him in the air, much to the amazement of the onlookers.

Naruto yelped indignantly, but otherwise, he was content to state in those green eyes.

"So, how did it go?" The fox-boy asked, grinning cheerfully. "Did you kick their asses?"

Zombie-san snorted at the scandalised expression of the adults and disregarded the fascinated ones of the kids. "We will need to work on your choice of the words, brat." He grumbled out, barely restraining a smirk at Naruto's suddenly wide, hopeful eyes.

"Does that mean..." Naruto said hesitantly, his voice small.

He had hoped for it, he had prayed for it –

"Yes." The man grunted out, his green eyes glinting with satisfaction.

Naruto pumped his head in the air and howled with triumph.

"YAHOOOO! TAKE _THAT,_ SUCKERS!"

It was weird to see the howling container of the Kyuubi expressing his... joy so soundly, and the man doing nothing to curb him. Although he _did_ cringe a little at the boy's volume of voice.

Narrowing his eyes dangerously, the man shook his new charge roughly. "Pipe. _Down_." Two words spoken in such a calm tone immediately had Naruto contritely hanging his head down, but the boy still couldn't wipe the huge grin off his face.

Iruka couldn't help but gape at the scene. Who the hell was the man that managed to pacify the howler monkey cum class nuisance so fast?

"Umino-san, "Iruka snapped out of his daze at the man's voice fast.

"Yes, Koizumi-san?" He asked politely – or as polite as he could, regarding he was dealing with demon lover.

"I will take over the brat's physical education." Koizumi continued, his voice level, but that didn't fool anyone. "The brat will be coming over to learn reading and writing... _properly,_ and if I find out he was or is hampered down in any way, shape or form..." The man grinned, showing off his unusually sharp and pointy canines, as his eyes flashed the same killing green as the Kedavra curse –

"I will take the matters in my own hands."

The adult civilians and shinobi alike flinched under the smoothly worded threat.

"Who are you to threaten good, honest citizens of Konoha?" One of the 'good and honest' citizens snarled out, his beady brown eyes blinking in disgust.

Koizumi slowly turned to the man, making him pale in process. "Another upstanding citizen of Konoha, of course," He retorted good-naturedly. "Oh, and before I forget, the brat here is under protection of Koizumi clan –" He swung the aforementioned brat for the scruff of his jacket playfully, making the protective plate on his hitai-ate tied to his left shoulder glint in the light discreetly.

"– so this honest, upstanding citizen of Konoha would be appreciate if you would heed the warning you've been given. Koizumi clan has a policy of issuing a warning only once, you know." The slight man's green eyes were turned in upside down happy crescents that somehow managed to look sinister.

Naruto was grinning with delight the entire time, not minding his position one bit. Zombie-san was soo awesome!

"Ready to go home, brat?" Koizumi asked the boy in his grip, smirking slightly at the chibi's absolutely delighted face.

"YAY! " Naruto cheered, before engaging Puppy-Eyes no jutsu. "Uh, can we go to Ichiraku? Pleaaasee?" He pouted and for all the things on the word, he looked absolutely too adorable and glomp-worthy.

However, his new guardian only looked at the boy dryly. "No can do, shrimp." He smoothly declined, making Naruto pout for real, the imaginary kitsune ears folding back against his skull. "Darn. Foiled again," The chibi grumbled as he crossed the arms on his chest, much to Koizumi's amusement and the witnesses shock.

Koizumi-san only snorted at the kitsune-chibi's antics, before he roughly put the boy on the ground again. "Come, we have much to do."

As the pair walked away, the dogboy looked at the duo with envious eyes.

Zombie-san was so cool and Naru-dobe was so lucky...

He sighed. He knew he wasn't exactly fair – he had his Mom and his sister, but that still didn't mean he didn't wish to have an Alpha –someone like – like...

Like Zombie-san.

* * *

Every time, Harry was amazed at the speed of rumours and amounts of human stupidity. Even Konoha, as nitty-gritty as the village was steeped in a reality, was under that damn disease.

It was even worse as the first time when he accompanied the blonde brat home. Even Naruto was nervous now, because peer pressure they were put under was enormous –although Harry disregarded it easily, what with his experience of having been– now former – Lord Potter and Black, along with having been - now also former - Commander of Light army.

Naruto, however, was less used to such amount of attention. Well, hell, Harry doubted that chibi had any amount of attention – or better, such scope of attention being forced onto him, and he could sympathize a bit.

The rumours travelled fast, and Harry was wondering idly just which tattle-taller would he have to introduce to the benefits of silence.

Obviously, not all of the villagers were happy with him being the official guardian of the Kyuubi brat...

Lazily, he deflected the stray kunai that was aimed at his shoulder, listening to Naruto's chatter what he had done in the school. He didn't bother with searching for the culprit – even if he knew who it was.

Besides, revenge was always best served cold, and his partner would happily oblige to some exercise later in the night.

" – ne, will you teach me any cool jutsu?" Harry blinked at Naruto's question.

The boy was fairly bouncing at his side, his blue eyes wide with the excitement, and his cheeks flushed with cold.

Harry snorted at the boy's enthusiasm _. 'If the brat knew just what was involved with those 'cool jutsu' he wouldn't have been so excited,'_ He thought to himself sourly.

He sighed as he discreetly sidestepped the trip-wire trap. Honestly, what were those famed shinobi, amateurs?

"You will learn to walk before running," He quipped back, only to smirk at Naruto's impersonation of a human-sized chipmunk. Honestly, the brat was a good entertainment, if nothing else.

"Oi, what was that s'posed to mean!" Naruto demanded, furious.

Harry snorted at the chibi's angry glare. It was as if kitten was trying to intimidate a ...well, a chimera. He bit back a chuckle at the comparison, not wanting to upset the boy more than necessary.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Harry's smile didn't reassure the kitsune chibi one bit.

Zombie-san was one scary son of a bitch, and right now, Naruto didn't look forward to the training one bit...

* * *

Dark eyes narrowed as he listened to the Hokage's... introduction, if that was correct phrase for the babbling the old man was spouting right now.

Sarutobi Hiruzen may have been hailed as the Kami no Shinobi, but he was still a human, and humans, as all people knew, make mistakes with frightening regularity.

It was already bad enough that Anko was whining about disappearance of her favourite toy – i.e. Cookie, his department was in a tizzy because of a... you guessed it, Cookie, and he had to deal with that bitch called paperwork.

Ibiki wanted to _scream._

Life was fucking unfair.

And Sarutobi was meddling... _again._

"I want you to call off the search for Cookie."

 _Finally._ Ibiki had thought that old man wouldn't have stopped his yammering.

... Wait, _what?_

"You want me to do _what?"_ He growled out dangerously, an annoyed snarl on his lips. Anyone who had seen Ibiki's face like this, was immediately compelled to answer anything the Head Interrogator wanted to know.

Sarutobi just counted his lucky stars he was Ibiki's superior right now.

The Hokage sighed, annoyed. "I said: Call. Them. Off. And by the way, we may have serious discrepancies in our protocols in dealing with strangers."

Silently, Ibiki exhaled. "Hokage -sama?" His voice was now neutral, but that didn't fool the old shinobi one bit.

"I already told the same to ANBU Commander, so you were the only one I had to speak on that issue. " Hokage lit up his smoking pipe. He inhaled the smoke calmly, before he looked at the incensed Head Interrogator again.

"Hokage-sama, Cookie is a serious threat to the village safety. If there are people with similar abilities he has..." Ibiki trailed off as Sarutobi made a sound of disagreement.

"The problem has been resolved." The old man said cryptically, much to Ibiki's confusion. "While I agree he would have been a serious threat, if he wanted to be, he is not. In fact..." He rummaged with some scrolls before he found one he searched for.

Ibiki's eyes grew wide as he saw the sign for the S – class secret stamped on the paper.

"What are you about to read, Morino, will remain a secret." Hokage said gravely. "If I find out that someone blabbered it out, I will hold you responsible."

With a small puff of smoke, he unsealed the documents.

Ibiki's hands were trembling as he picked up the documents.

' _T – These are - !'_

He gulped.

"Holy fucking hell," He breathed out, as he read them through.

Brown eyes on a weathered face watched him seriously.

"Do you understand now?" Hokage said calmly, one eyebrow rising a little in askance.

Ibiki managed to nod. "It will be as you said." He said shortly, his head still buzzing with the discovery, as he handed the documents back to the Hokage.

"Does ANBU Commander know?" He asked quietly.

The Hokage nodded. "Part of it. So will you?"

Ibiki grunted. "Yes. Anko may cause problems..." He trailed off at Hokage's grimace.

"It will come on her head if she misbehaves. _He_ has some unfinished business with her and if she is foolish enough to ... _play_ with him, she won't like how the game will turn out. Warn her, but otherwise, she is on her own." Hokage said grimly as he resealed the documents.

Nodding silently, Ibiki saluted to the Hokage, before stalking off to do some damage control.

And to catch a certain ANBU squad.

**_/To Be Continued/_ **


	5. Training, Uchihas and furballs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own characters of Naruto or Harry Potter, nor do I own the lyrics used.
> 
> ShoutOut: Holy…/is speechless/.Well, this is my early Christmas gift for y'all, 'cause I reckon we all need it /grins/. Still working, so updates will be sporadic at best, because there is when I will begin to change the timeline and happenings. Will try to update at least one a month, but we'll see about that. Had to whack Itachi with a sledgehammer, before I remembered his pocky obsession /mumbles/ Enjoy!
> 
> Warnings: SLASH pairing, meaning Akito(Harry)/Ibiki, harsh training for our favourite foxy brat, and someone wants to adopt Itachi. Wanna find out who, read more.

 

* * *

**_CHAPTER FOUR – Training, Uchihas and furballs_ **

_Cultivate your hunger before you idealize._

_Motivate your anger to make them all realize._

_Climbing the mountain, never coming down._

_Break into the contents, never falling down._

_(Naruto – 1-st ending)_

* * *

True to his word, Harry had started to train the whiskered ball of sunshine.

Currently, said whiskered ball of sunshine wondered just what had he gotten himself into when he enthusiastically agreed to the man's conditions.

Let's look a little back, shall we?

When they returned... home, that fateful evening, Harry had sat the chibi down and told him what to expect.

"Brat." Just one word, but it effectively stopped Naruto's jabbering about 'cool jutsus'. "Y – Yeah?" Naruto squeaked out, tilting his head like curious little kit he was. Zombie-san was uncharacteristically silent and grim, but until now, Naruto had supposed he was alright. The man sighed. "We have to talk." His voice was low and still a little bit scratchy, making Naruto still with dread.

"You heard what I said to Umino-san," Zombie-san continued, making Naruto bob his head in understanding. "I will train you, but you will learn other things in school." Surprisingly, Naruto only pouted, anddidn't explode into his loud disagreement like he would usually have done. "Why can't you teach me it too?" he mumbled sulkily, crossing thin arms on his chest defiantly.

"Because I am not from here," Zombie-san's reply was quick and to the point. "You will be better off to learn things from... them, than me." He raised his hand, effectively stopping Naruto's complaints about that being unfair. One green eye watched the Jinchuuriki seriously. "I can't do that. But I can train you enough to survive those fools' stupidity. Naruto,"

The blonde-haired boy jerked up at the mention of his name, his blue eyes wide with wonder and shock. But the man continued on, as if he hadn't noticed his... reaction.

"I will warn you only once - and that is now. The training will be tough – the toughest thing you could ever dream to experience. I will not coddle or baby you. I will not kiss your little boo-boos or whatever injury you happen to gain as a result of the training." The single green eye narrowed into an intense glare, making Naruto gulp with dread.

"Your enemies will try to crush you underneath the soles of their feet, like the insignificant bug you are. They won't choose their means. They will come at you with everything they've got - every low, dirty trick you could think up and quite several ones you couldn't even dream of. In this world, everyone could be your potential enemy. In this world, everyone could potentially kill you." Zombie-san's voice rasped out with a low hiss as he crouched in front of the fear – petrified boy. "And the scary part is- they don't need to be strong to do so. Cowards may not have strength, but they have cunning and the willingness to use even the most underhanded tricks. They can gain your trust and in your hour of need, they'll stab you in the back, not thinking twice about their betrayal. "

Naruto gulped noisily under Zombie-san's heavy stare. "I will teach you how to kill, maim and disable your opponents. It will be hard. You will suffer and have broken bones. The pain will be your greatest teacher and companion. When I am done with you, you will be a killer, make no mistake about that. But if at the end of the day someday when you are in a battle against overwhelming odds, you're still alive... then my work will be done. "

Naruto swallowed the ball in his throat. "B- But I don't wanna kill..." He whimpered miserably, eyes tightly shut as he didn't want to see the disappointed face of his guardian.

A heavy hand landed on the nest of yellow spikes and ruffled them fondly, making the boy look up cautiously, a small glint of hope in those cornflower blue eyes.

"Neither did I, kiddo." Zombie-san's voice was gruff and his eye softened, making Naruto smile at him hesitantly. "The day you begin enjoying killing is the day you become a monster."

Closing his single eye, Zombie-san sighed, but still had his hand on Naruto's head. "Sometimes, the only way is to kill them. Killing is the only sure fire way they won't harm you or another innocent person ever again." Zombie-san removed his hand from the boy's head, making Naruto whimper slightly at the loss of contact. "I've killed many people. Where I came from, there was a war, and in a war, you don't have many choices. Survive or die; and I chose the first one."

Blue orbs watched the man solemnly as Zombie-san stood up silently.

"I want to learn." The boy's whisper was barely there, but the man heard it nonetheless.

They stared at each other – a young man who lost his innocence and trust to the mankind all too early, and a boy who willingly placed both his innocence and trust into the man's bloodied hands to break them. The man's mouth tightened, but only for a moment, before they curved into a sardonic, if a little sad smirk.

"That you will."

* * *

"Tell me the rules again," Harry snarled at his protégé, who was currently a panting heap of limbs and sweat on the floor of their training room.

"D – Don't ... _huff_ – hesitate," Naruto choked out. "Hit to – hit to cripple." The boy gulped a heave down.

"And...?" Harry asked silkily, his form unruffled, as if he hadn't solidly trashed the hyperactive boy a moment before. Naruto was good, but still not up to the point he would be a challenge for Harry.

"Const – _uh_ -ant vigilance!" the boy wheezed painfully, but Harry had no mercy. Currently, Naruto was practically black and blue with bruises, looking more like a victim of abuse than anything else. Only the stubborn gleam in blue eyes told otherwise. He was lucky that he had no broken bones... this time. Naruto yelped as he was kicked, none too gently, onto his back and Zombie-sensei's foot pressed him down to the mat harshly.

"You forgot one." The man said softly, as he pressed his foot harder on the child's back. Naruto gulped. "K – Keep it simple." He mumbled out, his voice small with shame.

When they had been fighting, Naruto 'accidentally' used some fancy – schmancy moves he had seen that other kid – Uchiwa-something – practicing the other day. And his sensei was not amused.

"In a fight nobody cares if you look cool or not." Harry's voice was cold like bucketfuls of ice. "When you fight, it's important to preserve your energy and stick to what it works. In the end, all that matters is that you are alive and they are not." Naruto winced at the disappointment in his sensei's voice. Shame filled his heart, making his eyes burn with suppressed tears.

"B – But - !" He choked out, his throat constricting painfully. "I – "He felt the pressure on his back vanish."No showing off. Naruto, I've told you why, but if you are being dunderheaded on that issue, you will not last long." Harry's voice was sharp with frustration. "I am already on thin ice with teaching you as it is. You copying Uchiha's _Interceptor_ could bust both our asses to hell!"

The boy winced; hanging his head shamefully, as he painfully struggled into _seiza._

A cold silence stretched between the two of them.

"Up. And then laps around the village – no detours." Zombie-sensei finally spoke, his voice flat. "After you return, you will hit the shower and practice your writing."

That said, he turned and walked away from the thoroughly chastised boy silently.

Naruto closed his eyes as he heard the quiet swish of doors closing behind his sensei.

The laps wouldn't be a problem... but the burning feeling of shame would be harder to alleviate.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry had his own set of problems to deal with. Frowning, he pinched the bridge of his nose, once again quelling the beast within. Lately, he was fighting his animal side with increasing frequency. The Chimera had been appeased with the forbidden Forest for a time, but it seemed that all the testosterone in the air was making it antsy and willing to test just who exactly was top-dog – oops, chimera - around here.

The chimera was also the reason he was much harder on the kid than usual. While Harry alone would ease the boy into the do's and don'ts of fighting gently, like he had done with Dumbledore's Army, Harry, combined with Chimera instincts just... sort of... _punted_... the brat into the middle of the things, just like Moody and his other trainers had done to him.

True, they were under the heavy pressure of war, and that didn't help the matters, but he had also been thrust into the whole shebang even while training. In comparison with him, Naruto had it easy. Even if Harry was true to his promise of not going easy on him, he still held back most of his power. He had learned to hold his punches the hard way – and that was why he was so dangerous in melee battle.

The unwritten rule as for why was changing into the Animagus form was so dangerous, was because along with gaining the form of the ... inner animal, a person also got the instincts of said animal. And for the newly – minted Animagus, conquering the instincts and incorporating them within their own psyche was the most dangerous task in the process of becoming a full Wizarding world often quoted the story of Ethbert the Mole – Ethbert had successfully managed to change into his Animagus form and back, but alas, his instincts were another story. After successfully attaining his human form, he insisted on living underground, much to the dismay of his family, and eating worms and crickets. His favourite pastime was digging the tunnels. Because of his poor eyesight he was once digging in the wrong place at the wrong time, resulting in the Muggle digging machines killing him by accident – he was digging where Muggles were making a tunnel for the underground rail.

Harry's Dogfather, Sirius Black, adopted the playful mannerisms of one, along with its horniness... not that he hadn't been horny in the beginning. The transformation just... outlined the unfortunate trait more prominently.

Pettigrew had became as cowardly as a rat, and equally as slinky – it was a bitch to get a hit on him; Harry had only managed to do it because he had a moment of pure dumb luck. (He wasn't even aiming at him at the time.)

Harry's father's form was a stag, and it may have partially influenced his behaviour toward Lily and Snape, and that was bound to be troublesome. As for Harry himself... He was a freak of nature. Surviving Killing Curse at one, slaying a Basilisk and surviving having both Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears in his bloodstream... his Animagus form, if he ever had one. Add that to the obscure dark curse of Bellatrix's truly, and his original form of Serpenteo – a serpent lion, which was similar to a regular lion, but with a mane of snakes instead of hair – was changed into the Dark Chimera, the only one animal that was rated alongside the Nundu for the danger of approaching one.

And it really didn't help that he had been imprisoned and tortured. He had wanted to hunt the bastards down and let them taste some of their own medicine. And it miffed him even more that he was still in the middle of the enemy's territory.

Life Debts were a bitch.

Day after day, and night after night, the beast's voice became stronger and more insistent. Even if Harry could defy the commands of the Imperius curse, he grappled with the beast's instincts each and every time – the hardest ones were those on a battlefield. Dark Chimeras enjoyed fights, chaos and bloodshed. Usually, they were sighted very rarely - of some five hundred regular Chimeras, only one came out a Dark one – but the Dark ones were even more dangerous than their more mild – mannered cousins.

_/Kill. Tear. **Blood.**.../_

Harry grimaced at the sibilant purr in the back of his head. Even since his... incarceration, the voice became clearer and stronger, and the beast's presence more... present, in a sense.

For a moment, his field of vision shifted, seeing the life – forces, like some sick kind of thermal vision.

Because of that... thermal...vision, he knew he had a... stalker.

Harry scowled.

Damn it all.

* * *

He had been assigned to observe one Koizumi Akito for any untoward signs against Konoha and unofficially... against the Uchiha clan as well. Since Koizumi's... appearance in front of council two weeks ago, they – the council – were spooked enough to assign him to the man as some sort of a watcher. Not that he minded – no bloody missions for a while, he was closer to Sasuke, and Koizumi was... interesting.

Although he had to pity the whisker – cheeked brat – his new guardian was brutal in imparting the lessons to the boy's thick skull. At first, he had thought to tell the Hokage about the abuse, but the boy didn't seem to show fear of his guardian in any way, shape or form, so he left it be.

But, Koizumi Akito was a mass of... contradictions. He seemed to be a civilian, yet he clearly had a hitai-ate that marked himas a Konoha shinobi... but of what rank nobody knew... but he supposed Koizumi-san had to be high – ranked, otherwise Sandaime –sama wouldn't have the balls to present him as Uzumaki-kun's caretaker.

"Curious..." The voice against his left ear muttered softly."I just hope you don't have any love-confessions for me, dear stalker."

Itachi Uchiha, the prodigy of Uchiha clan and soon-to-be ANBU captain, was mortified.

Harry wanted to groan. Loudly. The beast wanted to play, and it seemed that his little stalker would be it... this time. Last week, it was one Hatake Kakashi, much to the silver-haired man's dismay. Having the instincts of a Dark Chimera was just a bitch.

But oh well... if you can't beat' em, join' em... right? Besides, the mortified look on the boy's face just tickled Harry's funny bone... a little.

If Harry hadn't had his hand on a very sensitive place of his stalker's body, he would've been skewered into shish-kabob without any preamble. Thank God for magic and claws.

Wait... _Claws?_

Never mind.

* * *

"I – I – "The boy stammered out. Harry had to give him some credit for staying cool under the fire, proverbial as it was.

"Well, what now, boy?" He asked his stalker kindly. Keep 'em off balance, so that they wouldn't know what hit 'em. That old tip of one of his trainers had saved his life more times he could count, and now wasn't any different.

"If you're so curious, you could've just asked me." Harry commented mildly. From his stalker's gobsmacked expression he suspected the boy didn't even think of that. "Um... but how can I know that anything you'll tell me would be the truth?" The boy counter-asked back, making Harry snort with amusement. "Well, you'll just have to see about that, won't you? Now are you coming along or not?"

He looked as the boy – really, even if he was a teen, and obviously an experienced killer, Harry couldn't help himself and refer to his stalker as a boy. Even if he was world – weary, as indicated from his guarded pose; and he was obviously high-ranked – Harry supposed he had stirred up enough trouble in the council to warrant at least some form of surveillance that would be rather ... expert-level, he was still surprised they stuck him with this...shrimp. He would have expected someone older, but if war taught him anything, it was that nobody was to be underestimated. He still smelled the scent of stale blood under the boy's own scent that was primarily pocky and fire.

The youth was clothed rather unassumingly – black pants and shirt withan added shuriken pouch on the thigh and against his waist, and he seemed to be ... a typical teenager. Except, in those lands, there was no such thing as a typical teenager.

And looking into those hidden black eyes, Harry knew he was looking at a fellow weapon. Not so jaded and still a little bit innocent... but a weapon all the same.

He turned around and began walking away.

A moment later, Harry heard an almost noiseless scrabbling after him, and his lip twitched into a minute smirk.

* * *

Itachi was stumped. For this man to discover him... He was really good. But Itachi should've expected that, what with Koizumi-san being chosen – however underhandedly – for the guardian of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.

But for the man to be so blasé about it – Itachi had a sneaking suspicion that Koizumi-san was just messing around with him – the other alternative of his target being just so bloody good didn't sit so well with him as he hurried after his target.

"I – I am on an assignment," he blurted out, and then cringed about his little bout of honesty.

"Your mission is me, right?" The man shot back, not even deeming him important enough to turn his way, making Itachi's right hand twitch with suppressed irritation.

The man was just plain infuriating, that he was.

"Then come." Green eye looked at him nonchalantly. "And tuck the bloody mask away already, I can find you either way."

"But ANBU – " Itachi began, only for his protest to be waved away briskly.

Koizumi's eyebrow quirked up sardonically.

"You really think I am bluffing?" The man asked as he headed his merry way, Itachi following him willy-nilly.

Itachi's eyes behind the blank mask narrowed. "You could." He replied shortly, tilting his head a little.

Time passed.

Neither of them budged on the issue.

Finally, Itachi relented.

Koizumi watched the teen unmask himself dispassionately, not expressing any surprise at his watcher's youth. After all, the youngest could be the most dangerous, as he had proved by surviving the Killing Curse.

"Hn... You're an Uchiha. "He muttered out, making the boy tense a little.

As he said nothing more, they continued their trek, with Itachi being faintly surprised that nobody heeded their presence.

They blended in... like ordinary civilians would, despite Itachi's notoriety – among fan girls, at least - and Koizumi's unmistakable ... shall we say, body characteristics.

Itachi took care to once again catalogue his guide's form.

Koizumi was slender and not particularly tall, but judging by his movements, he was a trained fighter. Each of his moves was executed with the least possible effort, and he was scarily aware of his surroundings. To Itachi, it seemed as if the man had eyes on the back of his head – but that was just impossible.

... Or was it?

He was clad in black baggy pants with dark gray sweater, along with having his hitai-ate tied on the upper left arm, as if in a subtle warning that he was a shinobi rather than a civilian. His shoulder-length hair was gray and white, reminding Itachi of a dove's feathers, what with the mingling of the colours into one another, and the hair's wildness. For once, Koizumi let his hair loose from his usual high ponytail and the lines of his face were softened slightly by the unruly locks that occasionally brushed against his temples and cheeks. He wore his usual pair of boots and fingerless gloves, but he wore them so casually that people easily overlooked his ... weapons. He covered his damaged eye with a simple deep gray eye patch.

Koizumi's gait was comfortable and self-assured, casual enough that he didn't call any untoward attention to himself. Really, if Itachi hadn't known his orders, he would think the man a simple shinobi, a Chuunin at most.

Speaking of which... what was the man's true level?

That... clawed hand took Itachi by surprise, and he still didn't know what that– a mirage or a real hand was. If it was a mirage, then what kind of Genjutsu had the man used to make it feel so... real?

And if... if it was real – that hand was real – just what the hell was he?

"Koizumi-san... What are you?" Itachi was blunt to the point of being rude. Inwardly, he winced at his straightforwardness – he was an _Uchiha,_ for God's sake! - but his ... instinct or whatever prompted him to be brutally honest.

The man snorted. "An interesting choice of question," he commented dryly. Itachi was silent. The man looked at him for a moment. "Well then, what do you think I am?"

* * *

Harry looked at the youth's face. Then, he looked away, striding through the crowd toward the park. At this time, there weren't many people at the park and he still had his barriers, so nobody unwanted would find out about their little talk.

"An enigma." The teen answered him after a short silence. "You came to Konoha two weeks ago, yet you have the Hokage's backing. You are not much, but to have Uzumaki-kun's guardianship indicates that you are rather trustworthy person... if Sarutobi-sama's judgment of your character is correct. There are no previous records of you..." Dark eyebrows narrowed with frustration. Something was missing, but what?

Harry nodded. "Indeed. So you are wondering just what I've done to earn that trust." He said matter-of-factly. Itachi eyed him sharply. Would the man really go as far as to trust him so easily?

A lone green eye glanced at the teen. "It's my clan code. I won't go into the depth of it, but I can tell you I am acting as some sort of a... retainer for the brat. I am bound to protect and serve him until the time my services won't be needed anymore." Itachi listened attentively, but the man didn't tell anything he didn't know already about. This was not enough... Koizumi-san was omitting something, but what?

"Why are you bound to his service?" The dark-eyed teen asked calmly, as they walked through the crowded street. There were civilians hustling and bustling around, doing their things – buying food, bargaining prices, greeting and chatting, with a few shinobi mixed in here and there – there was a team of Genin helping with unloading the cart, under the careful supervision of the owner, two of the academy students were hurrying to the school, no doubt late for lessons again, if their panicked faces were any indication, and on the corner there was a kunoichi looking at the newest shipment of weapons in the window of a weapon shop, bobbing her head to an unheard rhythm.

Koizumi-san was relaxed, as if expecting the question. However, that didn't mean anything, in Itachi's opinion. The man could be lying for all he was worth, although until now, Itachi didn't detect any misgivings about the information the man supplied him with.

"Because I owe him." The answer was short and concise, making Itachi's bad mood worse. The man was a headache **,** that he was. He inhaled, trying to relax. It wouldn't do himany good to explode on the insufferable man. "You owe him...?" He prodded, waiting for the answer.

"It's an honor debt, Uchiha." The man answered **,** his voice a little bit colder. "And my clan honoured those kinds of debts with their lives." Itachi recoiled as if struck.

Honor... this word was thrown in Uchiha clan quite often, but Itachi had a feeling that honor for this man had a quite different meaning than for his clan. Even as easygoing as he seemed to be, Koizumi had a core of steel, and Itachi knew, instinctively, that this man was not one to be crossed lightly.

"Listen to me, and listen _well,_ Uchiha." The man's voice was cold, making Itachi instinctively straighten out his spine. "I know that I put a kunai in whatever plans everyone had when I took up the guardianship of the brat, so I will tell you what they want to know. My loyalty is to Uzumaki and to Uzumaki alone. As I've told the council, I will tell you –the Koizumi clan issues a warning only once. Mess with us, and. _You Will. Not. Like. Consequences_."

Itachi gulped at the feeling that wafted from the man like waves of chakra. The pressure was similar to that of a Hokage, but Itachi's gut told him that the man was holding back, and the teen Uchiha really didn't want to make this manany more pissed at him than he already had.

"I will relay the message, Koizumi-san." He managed to speak up, happy that his voice was steady.

The man harrumphed. "See that you do," He muttered crankily. Then, he nodded to the small tea house. "Care for a cup of tea?"

Itachi nodded cautiously, relaxing slightly as the oppressive feeling lifted from him. "I would love to."

And with that, the impromptu interrogation was put to the halt.

* * *

Itachi was having a blast. Enjoying tea, his favourite pocky and no fangirls in sight, he was quite a happy teen, if not completely relaxed.

And Koizumi-san, when not interrogated, was a good company.

"If I may ask, what kind of style are you teaching to Uzumaki-kun?" He asked, truly curious. "I've never seen such a ..."

"Brutal? Unfair? Bloody?" The man added, smiling slightly, showing that he wasn't offended. Itachi relaxed. If the man perceived his question as fishing for information, however unintentional it was, then it would be a really unpleasant scene, and Itachi didn't want that.

Koizumi-san put his cup of tea on the table, reaching for the teapot. Dark eyes watched his movements. Koizumi's... handling of the equipment was a little...different, as if he was unused of participating in tea ceremonies. Better yet, as if he never participated in tea ceremonies at all, but he still enjoyed the bittersweet taste of Gokuyo tea. This particular kind of green tea was extremely bitter, and for a first – time drinker, it would have been too bitter, and yet this man drank it as if he had been drinking it all his life. After pouring a new dose in his cup and wordlessly offering to fill Itachi's cup too, which he accepted out of politeness, Koizumi put the teapot back on the table and picked the cup.

Dark eyes were thoughtful as he took the first sip. Absentmindedly, Itachi noted that the tea was the color of the man's eye.

Viridian green. How... unusual.

"I was taught this style from the masters of the art." He spoke, immediately catching Itachi's attention. "These were dark times, and everyone needed something to defend themselves with." The lone dark eye was faintly hazy as the man lost himself in memories. Itachi winced. He knew about the horrors of war all too intimately.

"My clan... was one of the frontline hitters. Our village wasn't the biggest, but we still had some strong fighters with... unique talents. I was one of them, and because of it, I was heavily targeted," Koizumi continued, his voice dull. "There were many styles of fighting to choose from, but we were short on time, and we decided I had to learn something that wouldn't take long, but would be practical in the melee skirmishes we engaged in. This style... was the one chosen."Koizumi smiled a bitter smile, chilling Itachi with the hollow expression on his face.

"It was the style of our elite soldiers, and it was never meant to be taught to civilians, because it's so brutal and dangerous. But we... We didn't have a choice."

"It was called Krav Maga."

* * *

Just hearing the name made Itachi shudder with dread, Harry noticed with a bitter smile. And Itachi was right to dread it. Krav Maga was rumoured to be one of the most dangerous fighting styles in the world for a reason. You could learn Krav Maga, but only a handful of those who learned the art had the potential to assimilate it so such point it was as natural to them as breathing. And from that handful, there wasan even smaller group that had the innate ability to take the style and make it theirs, evolving it by incorporating moves from other styles and taking it up a notch by instinctually knowing when and where to hit or avoid.

And Harry Potter, now known as Koizumi Akito, was one of those people.

Harry refocused his eyes and looked at Itachi solemnly, his eye old. Itachi himself looked rather sick with the story. "You... were a civilian?" The teen whispered, his voice choked. Harry nodded wordlessly, firmly clamping his grip on his inner beast. The beast whined, but otherwise, it remained compliant... for now. Harry knew he would have to go into the Forest again tonight to let the beast out, but he also knew this was only a temporary solution. Running on pure instinct was good, but having no control severely rankled him. The beast was rather... compliant when he dealt with Itachi, going so far as to emit some purrs and Harry got a vague feeling of the beast considering Itachi as its cub. Harry was baffled. At first, the beast wanted nothing other than to feast on the boy's blood and corpse, but then it had done a complete turnaround. It was enough to make Harry dizzy with such a sudden change of ... perspective. Even Naruto, the troublesome bundle didn't gain the beast's approval so soon!

Inhaling slowly, he closed his eyes so as to center himself. The beast whined, scratching at his mental walls.

_/Cub. Want. Protect. Must have.../_

Dark eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

 _'What do you mean cub?'_ He asked the beast wearily. The question was more of an impression of feelings – confusion, hesitant ... ownership mixed with belonging and a great dose of skepticism. His neck warmed at the imaginary huff the beast directed on the exposed skin. He felt... amusement and firm affirmation of feelings.

_/Yes. You. Silly. Cub. Take care./_

Harry wanted to growl. Instead, he only twitched.

Those fucking instincts were making him even more loopy than usual.

 _'Isn't that brat enough for us?'_ Harry would deny it to his dying day, but he came suspiciously close to whining.

The beast snorted. _/Kit yours. Cub mine./_

Harry scowled sourly. ' _Yours, huh? Let me remind you, just who would have to take care of **your** precious cub...'_He mentally growled at the beast, getting a sheepish shrug in return.

 _'...You didn't think about that ,did you?'_ Harry asked, his mental voice full of exasperated suffering. He looked at Itachi searchingly.

_'He has a family. Kit has only us.'_

The beast growled, irritated. _/No. Us. Cub. **Family**./_

Mentally, Harry rolled his eyes heavenward.

_'You sound as if we are a married couple.'_

The insufferable furball nodded self-importantly. _/Yes. Kin. Mated./_

Harry could only choke at the answer.

Itachi eyed the man, concerned. The last few minutes he had discreetly watched the man's face, were... interesting. It was as if the man was fighting some kind of an internal battle. His facial expressions ranged from being wary, into confident, then it changed to irritated, sour and lastly, the man choked on a sip of the tea.

"Koizumi – san... are you alright?" He asked, concerned, putting his tea cup on the table.

The man reined in his coughing fit and nodded, waving him off absentmindedly, one green eye still wide with shock.

 _'You are one sick puppy you know that right?'_ He questioned his beast, but only got a smug purr in return.

_/Takes one. To know one./_

Harry could only groan at the beast's impression of self-satisfied preen.

At this rate, it would be a long, long way, before he would get even a modicum of control over the blasted form. And right now, he didn't think it was such a good idea anymore.

"I need a Tylenol," He mumbled out, defeated, much to Itachi's confusion. "And if you would point me to the bar with the strongest alcohol available, it would be greatly appreciated."

* * *

Much to Itachi's relief, Koizumi-san abstained from drinking alcohol, but on that day, unknowingly to the Uchiha prodigy, he was adopted into a clan, which would, in coming years, house some of the craziest, most bat shit insane people to ever walk on the God's green Earth.

But right now, he was sitting with Koizumi-san in the tea house, calling the waitress to bring some headache relieving medicine to the wincing man.

Ignorance was bliss, indeed.

 

**_ /To Be Continued/ _ **


	6. Primal Fury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto or it's characters... I own only this story.
> 
> Shout Out: Well, happy belated New Year, everyone! I hope you began to liven it up full of excitement, happiness and grand plans to realise. Myself, I am one little busybody, learning for the masseuse course, writing and writing again, and oh yeah, get my booty moving. And so, this story is beginning to take shape of its own. Thank you for your support, be it either now or in the past – you guys and gals are the best inspiration I could ever hope for. Okay, let's stop with the mushy stuff and onward on reading!
> 
> Additionally: The chapters are a little slow moving, but Ibiki will come into the picture sooner or later. Right now, I am mucking around with bridge scene... so that may means there will be some delay for actual chapters. Meep. /hides/
> 
> Ne – ROOT – Danzo's division of forces, presumed to be funded and led illegally by Danzo. Or at least semi-illegaly, becamse some operations sure as hell are not approved by Sandaime.
> 
> Ryuma – Promoted bishop in the game of Shogi. The characters actually mean 'dragon horse'. Harry is a pawn for Sandaime – a very valuable one, as seen from his promotion in the ranks of Shinobi. I am not sure on particulars, but bishop in Shogi can be, in some circumstances, be promoted, giving him additional moves and points. He may move either as a bishop or as a king, but not as both at the same turn. But in the end, even if the bishop is promoted, he can be demoted and used as an opponent's pawn...
> 
> Warnings: SLASH, meaning Akito(Harry)/ Ibiki, and Harry getting revenge on dango obsessed bitc – oops, I spoke too soon. Some mention of manicure, too. Wanna find out more, read it!

 

* * *

**_CHAPTER FIVE – Primal Fury_ **

_We're both the same, me and you.  
We're both to blame, me and you.  
We've both insane, me and you.  
We've both the same, me and you._

_(Princess Ai – Primal Fury)_

* * *

Mitarashi Anko was _not_ amused. And it showed. She was more restless, cruel, and bloodthirsty – and all of it was because of that Cookie bastard.

When they – meaning the T&I squad - found out that they were to cease pursuing the stubborn bastard, she was unhappy, although she had a hunch her superior was anything but, if only because he had chewed out the leader of the squad that caught and brought the Cookie in. She didn't know the particulars, and she didn't care for them – she cared that her little prey was out of her reach.

Cookie was...her injured hand throbbed in remembrance. That bastard of an ass was one of the most stubborn people she had ever had the dubious honor of interrogating. Physical torture that would – and had - send any other man screaming for his mummy, and emotional torture which was even more horrifying than physical one – the man seriously got her to question whether she was losing her touch or not. He did scream, and oh, his screams were music to her ears, but he remained stubbornly mum on his secrets. Where any ordinary prisoner would break and babble out each and every secret she wanted them to, Cookie persevered, much to her irritation and reluctant respect of the man.

The time went on, and winter was firmly presiding over the Land of Fire, and she was still sulking. Not that she didn't try to find the man, but for some reason or another, she couldn't find him, and it was driving her spare. Even her trick with dango sticks and prisoners didn't make her amused, and an un-entertained Anko was one of the most terrifying shinobi in Konohagakure – right up next to an Icha-Icha deprived Kakashi and Sandaime. To tell the truth, she trumped both of them in her scary factor right then and there, but nobody told her that.

Even the bravest of ANBU valued their lives and bits... not to mention their sanity, thank you very much.

When Ibiki had ordered them to cease pursuing the Cookie, Anko was one of those few that didn't believe the bullshit their commander spewed out. For Ibiki to let go one of the prisoners without a valid reason was like Kyuubi playing _Ja-Ken-Po_ with Yondaime and cheerfully losing.

In short, impossible.

So she prowled around to catch the bastard, but said bastard was clever enough to evade her and her snakes, making her even more frustrated than usual.

But then, she had a stroke of good luck. It was by accident that she had heard of a man adopting the Kyuubi brat – yes, she knew about Uzumaki's burden, but it didn't concern her much and after all, she wasn't any kind of Good Samaritan. She had ceased to believe in the goodness of human's hearts the moment her sensei, the bastard that he was, left her – a failed experiment and a target of the villagers' disdain for his misdeeds.

And hearing about that... Koizumi fellow made her gut roll around angrily. How could he? How dare he? He was, because of the Kyuubi brat, an outcast and yet, he dared to behave as if it didn't matter in the slightest. He was also a shinobi, but...

So there she was. Bored, annoyed and just itching for a session of a good old fashioned torture. And being a fellow shinobi or not... this time, her target was Koizumi Akito. Fuck Ibi – chan's warnings, she was a big girl now, and besides – what could the man do to her anyway? She was a Jounin – a Tokubetsu Jounin for fuck's sake, she had been trained by one of the best, even if her teacher turned out to be a traitor and deserter in the end, but that was neither here nor there.

What it mattered was catching the son of a bitch, torturing him to tears and proving herself superior to all those miserable bastards who thought that she was a worm under the soles of their feet.

With that thought in mind, Anko finished her tenth stick of dango and carelessly threw it near the cook's head, making him yelp with fear, before she put down some coins and licked her lips, brown eyes glinting dangerously in the daylight as she watched her prey pass by.

The hunt was on.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry was having his own set of troubles. His beast was nagging him about his newest charge, he had a pounding headache from his practice of wandless magic and he really, really wanted to throttle the miserable bastard who had dared to raise Naruto's rent... _again_. The flat was okay now, what with all the modifications he had made, but it was just absurd that the fatass who was the owner of the complex where they – he and Naruto – resided – demanded _thrice_ the rent he usually demanded of his tenants. Harry was just itching to rend the man limb from limb, but it wouldn't do for a good, honest, upstanding civilian such as him to use despicable measures such as a murder. He had thought of moving both him and Naruto into a small house, but then, all his effort would be for naught –and besides, Naruto was still safer within an apartment complex with other people, no matter how disapproving of their coexistence they were. If they were in a house, there was still a chance of Naruto being maimed, if not killed, by some person on his way home, but with such an amount of witnesses, people couldn't afford to do such a misdeed in broad daylight.

Sighing and frowning lightly, he massaged his temples. What was with the Potters and their curse of having interesting lives? Naruto was still in school, so no worries there, Itachi was on a mission, the poor brat, and so he at least had some quiet and peace for himself.

And all that quiet and peace were not reassuring. When something was brewing, it was only a matter of time until that something exploded and really, Harry just wanted some true peace. Was that too much to wish for?

He sighed with irritation, half-listening to his beast – he really should have found something better to call his Animagus form other than just a beast or partner, but he simply didn't have the time. Between educating Naruto in Krav Maga, his own training, taking care of the groceries, flat and everything else and learning about the Konoha residents and the power structure employed here more in depth, he didn't have too much time for himself or relaxing. Add that to his private 'sessions' in the Forbidden Forest, and you get one very irritated and very grumpy wizard turned shinobi who wanted to maul something into tiny itty bitty little ribbons of flesh or wood or stone or... whatever.

It was an unfortunate side effect of being an Animagus – and a really annoying habit. How on God's green Earth did anyone with talons of a bird get the urge to scratch at the trunk of a tree like some common house cat? And no, filing the damn things with a file didn't help. If anything, it damaged the used files mighty quick.

So... Scratching it was.

Partial transformation now went much quicker as the stubborn furball acquiesced some of his control to him. Not all of it, but at least the claws and really, Harry didn't know whether to be happy he didn't have hooves or annoyed because the itch to scratch some poor tree was sometimes just overwhelming.

Luckily for him, the Forbidden forest was well-equipped with an abundance of Iron Trees – the kind of trees that had wood like iron and they was just perfect to claw out their frustrations on. Iron Trees were not used much, because of their incredibly hard density – even seasoned shinobi would have trouble taking one of those monstrous things down, because the older they were, the harder their wood became – and because of this, the wood was very coveted for light armor and also very hard to harvest. But Harry didn't have any trouble with literally clawing the tree down – provided he had enough time and an ample amount of frustration to work out on the poor tree.

He twitched slightly as his sixth sense piped up that he had a stalker, but otherwise, he did nothing.

Chimera instincts were a bitch. And with him not controlling all of them... yet, they were a triple bitch. It was an overdose of paranoia that dwarfed even Moody's, and the old Auror was considered a paranoid freak among his own kind. Inhaling the cold air, he stalked through the crowd, resisting the temptation to just use Apparation to get to his favourite place.

Some days, it was a chore to deal with the stupid, hairless monkeys. Never mind the fact he was one of those stupid, hairless monkeys himself.

' _Hypocrite much?'_ His conscience mocked him, but Harry ignored it in favour of walking the shortest route he could find to get to his scratching place, disregarding his... stalker.

* * *

Anko couldn't believe her luck. The dumbass was heading straight to the Forbidden Forest, and that was Anko's territory... well, mostly, anyways. Since that... _Thing_... Appeared in there and hogged the majority of the places, she had only her little tree house and a small glade for training. And even then, she noticed those scratch marks that were too deep to be anything from ligers or other big predators in the forest. Sure, Kakashi was babbling something about the thing with red eyes, but Anko dismissed it as the babbling of some over imaginative man. Kakashi could swear it up and down, but until he actually brought the beast in as proof, Anko wouldn't be convinced about his harebrained story. Although, really what was it that gouged the Iron Trees so deeply? The monster had to be pretty strong and have a sharp set of claws to do the deed.

She licked her lips as she grinned nastily at the thought of finally catching that elusive Cookie of hers. And she would finally break him...

She jumped on the roof, running after the man, her beige overcoat fluttering in the wind.

_Yes. Finally._

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was in the forest, heading to his usual patch, when his instincts screamed in danger.

' _Duck!'_

He automatically obeyed the warning – his instincts, were, after all, always right, and they had saved his life more times he could count.

A soft swish and then the dull _thwack_ of those strange knives – kunai, was it? Almost as soon as he heard the sound of impact, he sprang away, and not a moment too late.

The long senbon whizzed past him.

"Aww. I missed." A woman's playful voice made his teeth itch.

His beast agreed.

A singular green eye looked at the adversary.

"Hello, bitch."

* * *

Anko grinned a wide, bloodthirsty grin. Even if she was surprised at his reflexes and quick pinpointing of her location, she still had the advantage of being on a tree, while he was still on the ground – meaning, he was a sitting duck.

" _Aww._ That's not how you greet a lady," She mock – cooed, her mocha colored, pupiless eyes flashing with killing intent. Predictably, her prey didn't even flinch under it. After so many times of being tortured, he apparently got used to it.

"Ladies don't traipse half – naked around, like some kind of common harlots." The man's voice was throaty and mocking, making Anko grind her teeth, but she kept her temper back. After all, she had an advantage here.

"Ooh, you don't like it?" She pouted. "Oh, poo. And I thought you appreciated the view in our sessions. You know, I dressed especially for you, and it just hurts my heart to hear you being unappreciative of my efforts." She purred sexily, while she fingered the next set of the kunai.

"Yes, I am sure you were positively crushed," The man commented dryly. Anko almost guffawed, but then she remembered this wasn't her comrade, but prey and she really had a score to settle with him.

She tilted his head as she watched him.

He was still emaciated, his features still a little too sunken to be healthy, but otherwise, she would have been almost fooled by him, what with Cookie looking like some kind of shinobi.

... Wait. _Shinobi?_

Mocha – colored eyes narrowed.

"Who did you kill?" She demanded harshly.

A green eye stared at her. "Wanna compare the tally?" The man asked her flatly, making her growl with irritation. "Sorry bitch, but you'd lose."

He was standing down there, looking as if he hadn't any trouble in the world except for pissing her off.

"Mouthy little shit, aren't you?" She growled at him. He tilted his head, like a confused dog.

"And you are a slutty little bitch who masquerades as an interrogator. So I think we're even."

* * *

Harry didn't know why he was so... brash against her – wait, he did. The bitch, as he called her, was responsible for him losing one of his eyes, and while it wasn't such a great loss when he was in his Animagus form, it still irked him.

She was a mad dog that someone would have to put down, sooner or later. She reminded him of Bellatrix, but while the Lestrange was certifiably insane and all that rot, this bitch, as he called her, was clever and that made her doubly dangerous as the skull fucked excuse for a witch Bellatrix had been. If he hadn't been trained, he would have broken under her psychological torture, but thanks to Snape and Malfoy Sr., he was well versed on how to deal with such torture. Still, that didn't mean she didn't come painfully close to some very unpleasant truths in her search of answers.

Truths Harry himself wasn't ready to deal with yet.

Besides, baiting her was fun. This time, he could – and would strike back.

He may have been instated as a shinobi of Konoha, and as such under orders of not harming his comrades except in spar of if the said comrades defected, but... fuck the rules. The bitch above him definitley earnes home good old mauling... in a punishment sense, of couse.

The beast inside him purred in anticipation.

He was still tired from his workout, so he would have to play his cards carefully to get the maximum impact possible and revenge in one hit.

He kept the impassive face, but underneath it, he was grinning with blood thirst.

She was snarling at him, like some kind of a wild dog, and he prepared himself.

She was still clothed in that beige coat and netted... Thing that revealed more than it covered, but he was immune to that childish trick. Seen one pair of boobs, seen them all and really, war wasn't luxurious enough to afford separate quarters when on a hunt for Horcruxes. Her skirt could be called scandalously short, but what he was interested the most, was where she hauled her pretty little knives from. Did she have some kind of Mallet space or something?

He had to learn the trick. It would be very useful – _Whoa!_

He dodged another hail of the pretty little knives nimbly, making her curse, before she quickly made some signs and –

" _Katon – Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"_ She snarled out, and then, out of her mouth, she blew a stream of fire at the shocked Harry.

His hair was singed a little, but he managed to get to safety...

He felt cold iron on his neck.

... or not.

' _Fuck.'_

* * *

She was happy and disappointed at the same time. Happy because she finally caught the little fucker, and disappointed that he didn't offer a little more resistance.

"Ah, ah... but this ' _bitch'_ thinks you owe her something," She purred into one of the man's ears seductively. "Besides, no one gets away with badmouthing Mitarashi Anko and not pay for it in some way."

She heard an almost inaudible growl of frustration, and smiled happily. "Now, now," She cooed. "You were a bad little boy, so I think you will have to call me Mistress. Or you will lose something _very_ precious..." Her kunai travelled up from the neck to the edge of the man's remaining eye, digging lightly in the sensitive skin here. A droplet of red liquid slid down, making her grin with ecstasy.

' _Ha, Ibi –chan was wrong! He was as easy to catch as a Genin!'_ She bragged to herself. "And to think they rated you as very dangerous." She mused to herself, lightly nibbling on his right ear and making him twitch.

The man stood still as a statue. And if Anko had seen his face right then, she would have trembled with terror.

"I think not." The man spoke out, and then, Anko's work exploded in pain.

* * *

He winced as she howled in agony. His eardrums would surely burst after that, but to hell with it.

A wandless _Cruciatus_ was hard to pull off, but Harry was just insane enough to make it work.

She was too cocky. Of course, he could've Apparated away from her little hug of death, but that would be a waste of energy, and he felt a certain vindictive satisfaction at the thought of her being scared of doing anything similar to anyone in the future.

Served the little bitch right.

He cancelled the curse after a minute and looked at her.

She was crumpled on the frosty ground, her skin covered with a sheen of sweat and her face had tear tracks smudged on the dirty cheeks as she had writhed in a futile attempt to get away from the terrible pain. Her once pristine beige cloak was a mess now, the same with her hair.

Those mocha colored eyes looked at him, full of pain and fear. And his beast relished it.

"Not as pretty when you're on the receiving end, no?" Harry spoke out coldly. Inside, he was sick with use of one of the Unforgivables – even if it was used as retribution for her torturing him, it still wasn't right, and he too, was winded.

She sniffled and tried to scoot away from him, making him wince inwardly.

She was... so young.

So foolish.

* * *

She didn't know how long she was under that terrible pain. A month? A week? A year?

It had came, a terrible onslaught of hottest fire and freezing ice flooding her veins, making her feel as if all her bones were broken simultaneously, and then forcibly repaired, without anything to take the pain away and yet – her body was whole, as if nothing had happened, making her thrash helplessly on the ground.

"Not as pretty when you are on the receiving end, no?" She barely heard the man speak out, but even then, she flinched and instinctively tried to get away.

But her muscles didn't obey her. She trembled as he crouched down.

She was helpless, nobody was here to save her – she gave out a light sob of terror as she imagined what else the man could do to her now and for the first time in her life, she regretted the choice of her provocative dress.

Her body twitched and it felt like the aftermath of a terrible burn, like she had acid in her veins and hot coals pressed against all of her nerves.

"And _that_ , little bitch..." A hand grabbed her for her hair, making her wail weakly at the aftershocks of that terrible agony – "Is true pain. But you know what's funny?"

Her watery mocha colored eyes looked at the bastard and in that moment, she hated him, hated him even more than her snake freak of a teacher. Her sight was blurred with tears, her stomach was rolling around and she felt sick.

"You were under it for one minute." He muttered to her, tilting his head a little, so that she could see the eye patch.

She blinked, taken aback. "Wha - ?" She croaked, staring at him disbelievingly.

A bitter slant of his mouth told her he was telling her the truth. " _One_ minute, little bitch. Just one minute. And you didn't last." He shook his head as if disappointed. "You make yourself seem so tough, bragging, cursing and teasing... and look at you now. A sniveling and sobbing little cookie, that's what you are."

"Fuck. You." She spat out, and began struggling weakly. His words burned like acid in her consciousness, unpleasant and true.

The man stared at her then he shook his head.

And then, Anko struck.

" _Sen'eijashu!"_ She bit out and two snakes flew from her sleeves, one immediately biting the man, and other immediately wound around his throat.

Anko smirked. " The last laugh will be mine, bastard. You were just bitten by a Black Mamba, and in fifteen minutes, you'll be a corpse. If you aren't strangled first. "

The man quirked his eyebrow, making her wary.

Then, he chuckled, his lone green eyes glinting red.

"That's what you think." He hissed something, and the snake on his neck reared back in surprise, before uncoiling and sliding down his back, along with the other one. "Care for a little wager, Mitarashi?" He purred, his eye dark with an unholy glee.

She gulped, sweating. "Making a deal with a dick-ass like you? No fuckin' chance." She managed to get out, her throat sore with screams.

* * *

Harry just smirked. He didn't intend to, but he would have his heyday with freaking her out. Breaking her little superior, snobbish, bloodthirsty attitude would be fun. After all, he fucking owed her for his eye.

"You have no fucking choice," He returned pleasantly, his voice almost a purr, making the woman beneath him shiver with dread. "Your little pet bit me, and if you're right, I'll die in fifteen minutes, no skin off your back. But if I survive..." he paused, looking at her incredulous face he grinned a mirthless grin. "You leave me the fuck alone – me and mine, except if it's in an official capacity. Anything else and the pain you experienced today will feel like a bee's prick in comparison with a fully powered one." He didn't suppress his grin at her pale face when she found out just how much over her head she really was.

She swallowed loudly. He could read the emotions in her eyes. Surprise. Fear. Dread. Wariness...

Well, she didn't need to know that his little torture was a onetime deed for the day, because his magic was still not fully under his control. Him getting the successful _Cruciatus_ cast on her was just a fluke, made from adrenaline and a healthy dose of malice and retribution.

In the war, he didn't use the _Cruciatus_ much – he had bad memories attached to that particular use of magic, but that still didn't mean he couldn't cast it. A Black Chimera was one mean, mad piece of work, and some of its bloodthirsty nature rubbed off on him, thus his need for the Occlumency and meditation lessons. His spirit, or better, the Chimera's spirit, changed him, and not always for the better. And with Bellatrix's little advice... well, suffice to say, any idiotic Death Eaters who were captured rued the day they joined Voldemort. If they thought that the light side was merciful, then they were terribly wrong.

Harry's friends didn't know about his... extracurricular activities. Oh, Hermione suspected, but she knew that if you had to fight fire, you had to fight it with fire. Ron would have had a heart attack, but that was well over and done with.

He blinked, cutting his reminiscing short.

"F – Fine." She bit out, pissed, her teeth rattling in a similarly disturbing manner his had had when he had first experienced exposure to that particular curse. "But get your paws the hell off of my body!" She snarled, jerking her head back in an attempt to get him to let her go.

Rolling his eye, Harry released her, making her yelp with shock and a little pain when her head hit against the ground.

"Suit yourself, little bitch."

He snarked back, making her glare at him hatefully.

* * *

She was glaring at him as they waited, willing him to drop dead in the most painful manner possible. The bastard was just... just impossible! Whether he was being tortured by T&I's best team or he was doing the torturing – Anko winced at the last thought – Cookie was just – just so –

Infuriating. Quiet little bastard, quite stubborn but with a revenge streak mile wide.

Her bones still felt as if they were on fire, along with her muscles feeling as if they were dipped in a slow acting acid and her nerves were shot to hell and back – she couldn't control them anymore – her _Sen'eijashu_ was her last desperate try to get the upper hand over the bastard who could've gutted her at any given moment.

Said bastard was sitting in front of her, idly musing about something, his lone green eye betraying nothing of his thoughts. And that was making her nervous. Anko knew how dangerous her little serpent friends were; she had used them many a time to get herself out of difficult situations, and they were one of her weapons for dealing with the more... rowdy and disrespectful village men who thought she would be an easy lay just because she was an outcast.

He was clothed very simply – black trousers with a deep blue jumper and a red and black jacket with a gray scarf that made his facial features even paler than usual and the green of his lone eye even more vivid. On his left bicep he had tied on a hitai-ate with the sign of the Konoha leaf, and his missing eye was covered with an eye patch. Today, his hair was in a messy disarray of different shades of gray, as if it were some kind of mane. She didn't detect any weapons other than those strange black ones and the dagger, but she had experienced firsthand that he really didn't need any additional ones, if his ability to cause pain so efficiently was any indication. In opposition to other shinobi, he was wearing boots instead of sandals, making his legs longer and sleeker looking….

She blinked. Why the fuck was she contemplating about boots making his legs more yummy – ' _No! Bad, bad Anko! Bad girl! Down!'_ She swallowed down a hysteric laugh at the image of her having puppy ears and tail wagging.

Gods… Was she really turning into a bitch, like Cookie had called her?

And wasn't that a disturbing thought. She whimpered, only to see her captor quirk his eyebrow at her. With a mortified blush, she found out that she had whimpered aloud and … This day just plain fucking _sucked._

The ground was cold, making her shiver, wishing the bastard had either dropped dead already or the time had moved faster –

Wait.

She blinked.

Ten minutes had passed – she was sure of it – and Cookie still didn't show the signs of being poisoned. By now, he should have had trouble breathing and moving and he should have been writhing on the ground like some kind of lowly worm, but noo, he was happy as a clam.

Well, not happy per se, but he was alive, and that was unacceptable, Anko moodily thought to herself.

"You should have keeled over already." She ground out, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.

He only cocked his head, infuriating her further. "Oh? Should I? So sorry that I don't fulfill your expectations, but it couldn't be helped." He muttered back mockingly.

Anko ground her teeth together. She hadn't been so incensed since -since that lecherous little toad tried to spy on her and she had stomped the toad ten feet into the ground. Not that it stopped the idiot from spying on the onsen anyway.

The Toad Sage was just a super pervert like that.

And someday, Anko swore, she would find out just how the old pervert survived the epic wham-bams doled out from the enraged masses of women, disable the secret and then send him on a short sightseeing tour to Hell and back.

"What's your name?" She asked instead, forcing herself to be civil.

Cookie coughed with surprise. "My name?" He repeated dumbly.

Anko nodded. It was pretty dumb question, but… yeah. The entire situation was dumb to begin with.

"Don't tell me, your parents named you Cookie as well?" She asked sarcastically, making the man bark out with amusement.

"You wish." The man volleyed back. "Although it wouldn't have been such a bad idea, I fear I would have been traumatized by a… unique choice such as this. You want to get me a tombstone or what?"

Wincing, Anko made a sour face as she tried to sit up, and to her surprise, the man helped her.

"No duh, genius." She snarked back, biting back a curse.

"Eloquent as always." Cookie fired back, making her scowl and he smirked.

* * *

Harry smirked. The bitch, as he called Anko, was pretty relentless in her pursuit of knowledge about him and well…right now, she reminded him of Hermione, what with her inquisitive nature. When she wasn't cackling or baby – talking, she was an okay person to be around.

"Mm. "He hummed, and she twitched, making him amused with her impatience. She was a right little fireball, that one.

"I am Koizumi Akito." He finally relented, making her blink in astonishment. Apparently she had expected some kind of cruel prank on her, but to get his name right off the bat…Well, it stumped her.

Oh, the joy of mental games.

"Koizumi… Koizumi… Hey, aren't you the one who's the guardian of that fox brat?" She asked rudely, nodding at him and wincing at the movement. Harry could sympathize – the _Cruciatus_ was a bitch on the body, especially for a first timer. He had been under it so many times he had built some kind of an immunity to it… at least a partial one. That didn't mean he couldn't feel the pain, it just meant he had gotten better in blocking it from his rational thought processes.

"Yeah. I take it the news has already spread?" He asked unnecessarily, and she snorted rudely. "Che. You bet your arse they did. Just what did you threaten those old fossils with that they allowed you to babysit the gaki permanently?"

Harry chuckled at her straightforward manner of questioning. "Oh, this and that," he waved her question off nonchalantly, making her growl in frustration. He hid his smirk carefully. Oh, was she fun to tease… His beast purred with agreement at the thought.

 _/Yarn ball./_ Harry froze at the chimed in impression of his partner. Then, he had to choke down a loud guffaw at the thought of Anko in the shape of a yarn ball, spiky hair, netted shirt, cloak and that ridiculous orange skirt.

 _Yarn ball_ , indeed.

Chimera sure did have some very unusual categories to file the people they met in. Itachi became _Cub,_ Naruto was termed as a _Kit,_ the Sandaime Hokage was called _Wrinkles,_ and that annoying gray haired menace was _Dog Piss_ – well, he stank of dogs and fresh piss every time they met him in the forest, at any rate.

What? He wasn't scaring the man intentionally... noo, nope, not in a million years. He just... happened upon him and unexpectedly greeted him. He was innoncent, honest!

Amusement was just a side bonus.

"… You are toying with me, aren't you?" she asked, almost hissing with anger. He blinked. "You are fun to tease." He replied back blankly, just for the fun of it.

Her poleaxed expression finally tipped him over, and he roared with laughter.

* * *

Anko gaped, but then he began to laugh, and her bewildered look changed into a miffed one, until she had seen the situation from his point of view and her lips began to twitch.

Soon enough, she also began to laugh, and for the next few moments, both of them were laughing aloud, their bellies almost hurting with mirth, as well as their facial muscles.

Unknown to either of them, the fifteen minutes mark was way past and maybe… Anko thought, maybe that Koizumi fellow wasn't so bad to know.

They were both insane, at any rate.

* * *

Meanwhile, a shadow vanished into the trees, intent on reporting to its leader about the unexpected development.

Danzo would be interested in that strange power that could cause an almost untold amount of agony, that was for sure.

* * *

Much to Anko's chagrin, she was stuck with her nickname of 'little bitch'. Although she did cry herself sick at the nickname Naruto had given his guardian.

' _Zombie-san'_ , indeed.

They parted in the late afternoon, exchanging pleasantries and underhanded insults. The shadows were crawling on the trees and the ground silently, like assassins of cold. Harry closed his eye thoughtfully, pondering about what had just happened. They went from adversaries to acquitances so fast he still couldn't believe it. But he got revenge out of his system now - Well, now he knew why was Voldemort using the _Cruciatus_ so often. The Cruciatus curse was really very, very therapeutic, indeed.

_Twitch._

He frowned.

_Twitch, twitch._

The tips of his fingers itched.

_Twitch, twitch twitch._

The itch became stronger, and with it, his dread.

One smug twitch later, Harry groaned and stalked deeper in the forest.

It seemed that he wouldn't be able to skip his manicure, no matter how much he wanted to.

He glared at his innocent human nails. They were all but innocent.

One last tingle had him bolting with all the speed, and just in time, too.

He hurriedly allowed his hands to transform into the claws, the soft pink of human skin and nails became golden ochre tough skin and wickedly curved black claws. Muscles bulged and rearranged and Harry had to grit his teeth as it itched something terrible. He flexed his hands – claws, marvelling at the power they contained within. He could slice apart or choke a grown man effortlessly , as if he were made from tissue paper – and he had done so in the past and undoubtedly, he would have to do it sometime in future – if not for himself, then for the safety of his kit.

_Twitch._

Green eye narrowed at the claws. The damned itch still persisted.

Placing his claws on the tree, he pressed down, stiffening the claws and... _moved._

The relief was so strong he could cry.

"Mm. Better than orgasm." He muttered to himself, almost purring aloud, as he placed second hand and began, for the lack of better word, clawing the trunk of the unfortunate Iron Tree.

* * *

The next hour was a pure bliss for him. At the end of his impromptu manicuring session via shredding two trees to itty bitty pieces, his nails – oops, claws were sharper than ever, his mood also lifted and he had a plan on how to extract the rest of the revenge against the little bitch.

* * *

Somewhere in Konoha, Anko felt a cold dread of premonition slide down her spine, despite of her being in hot onsen water. She gulped.

'It wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.'

She resolved to talk to Ibi-chan and give him all-you-can eat coupon for Akimichi's yakiniku restaurant she had pilfered from Hana in one of their scuffles. It would be her apology for her not heeding his words about Koizumi being dangerous... not that she had any illusions Ibiki wouldn't punish her anyway.

Swallowing her dread about meeting her superior and confessing her crime to him, she lowered herself deeper into the water, until she was covered with it to her nose.

Still, Cookie was interesting. And she always did like interesting things. Her small, tremulous smile was hidden under the watery surface, forming into something a little less innocent.

' _Bitch, he dares to call me, huh? Zombie-chan, you have no idea. No idea at all..._ ' She chuckled darkly, creeping out her fellow bathing companions as her eyes became pure black and yellow for a second before they returned to her normal appearance.

* * *

Somewhere in the darkened room a nameless and faceless shinobi finished droning the report on his target to his superior.

A long pause, when the shinobi didn't move an inch as his superior contemplated the latest unravelling of the mystery that was Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's permanent guardian.

"Dismissed." An authoritative voice spoke out, and the shinobi bowed before melting black into the shadows.

Dark eyes narrowed. "Sarutobi, you have a lot of explaining to do." The leader of _Ne_ forces muttered to himself, before looking over the reports about one Koizumi Akito. For Sandaime Hokage to so abruptly unveil the _ryuma_ to guard his most precious pawn...The game plan shifted abruptly, and it was yet to be known whether it was for better or for worse.

Right now, the name of the game was... _Waiting._

_  
_

_ _**/To Be Continued/** _   
_

 


	7. Getting High

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto; only this story.
> 
> Shout Out: Right, I promised you a new chapter, and there it is. Sorry for the delay, my beta MHB and I had our Real Life challenges to duke out - her in college and me with working wherever I was needed - the lastest harebrained project was preparing logs for winter /winces/. Ouch. A price to b epaid, if you want to be toasty warm. As it is, the updating will move a little slower now - the next on agenda is Fire And Ice, along with some or other one-shot, which, surprisingly, didn't get straight into HP waters /stares at it incredulously/. Well, hell, even I have those moments... apparently. 
> 
> Warnings: SLASH, meaning Akito (Harry)/Ibiki, tassology and a brief mention of Tora Army.

_How many special people change?_

_How many lives are living strange?_

_Where were you while we were getting high?_

_Slowly walking down the hall_

_Faster than a cannonball_

_Where were you while we were getting high?_

( _'Champagne Supernova'_ ,  by Oasis)

* * *

The time trickled by slowly - or was it fast? The Hi no Kuni was becoming colder by the day, a sign of approaching winter. People exchanged their lighter summer clothes for heavier, warmer winter ones, and even shinobi resorted to donning long-sleeved articles of clothing, like pullovers or cloaks or something similar, instead of their usual sleeveless variants. The sandals were switched from the open-toed to closed-toed ones, and some more unconventional persons chose boots as their footwear. The trees' leaves were colored in their magnificent fiery shades - gold, yellow, warm orange, and red shades, making people think it was a fire, what with the colors blending together. However, right now, the colors were a little dull, with the rain falling down and wetting them, stealing part of their splendor.A week ago, it had been a magnificent sight, to see the self-same leaves edged in frost, but the unpredictable weather got a little bit warmer, enabling the ground to be soaked with chilly rain.

Although it was morning, there were not many people hustling and bustling through the streets. Most of them were still cozying up under their blankets in their homes, with some early-riser shop owners opening their shops. There was a seamstress yawning at the corner as she paused for a bit from her sweeping the floor of her little abode, listening half-heartedly to the pitter-patter of the raindrops on the roofs.

The sweet scents of just-baked bread wafted in the air, and somewhere, someone was humming a small ditty to themselves.

The dango shop was already open, and some half-asleep shinobi sleepily munched on their portions of dango absentmindedly, while quietly conversing about what this day would bring.

It was a quaint little scene, pleasant and a little dull as people moved sluggishly past each other, sometimes exchanging greetings or just plain passing by.

This was the scene Morino Ibiki was watching while he sipped his morning cup of tea in his corner of the 24/7 tea shop he frequented. Despite the rumors of him preferring coffee, Ibiki was rather attached to a good cup of tea - the only thing that made rumors truthful to the extent was that this particular brand of tea had a scent that was very similar to the brewed beverage of doom, AKA coffee. It was also two times stronger than the strongest coffee available, and not many of the drinkers could truly stomach it, because it was insanely bitter and gave the unfortunate consumer a painful rush when downed.

Ibiki twitched a little as his right shoulder pained him again, his eyebrows furrowing minutely. No matter what anyone else said, he knew that the weather would worsen again, and that meant more pain for him as his old wounds ached something terrible. Such was the disadvantage of having been tortured and managing the escape the bastards who did the torturing. He was sitting in a dimly lit quaint little corner with a good view on the street, half-heartedly listening to the murmuring conversations around him. It was somewhere half past seven in the morning and he had just finished the interrogation of a particularly stubborn nuke-nin. However, his thoughts right now were not about the interrogation - he already wrote the report and it waited on his desk to be sent to Hokage first thing when he came back from his self-imposed break. Usually, Ibiki didn't have such… strange… hours to work, but the last case demanded he use some of more… persuasive methods, thus the irregular schedule.

But right now, Ibiki was pondering his latest enigma. He refused to think about it as an obsession, because, really, Morino Ibiki didn't obsess over anything, he was merely …intensely contemplating it.

This enigma had the name of Koizumi Akito, who was now current guardian of that fox brat Uzumaki. Ibiki still remembered the day Koizumi had been dragged to him, his clothes tattered and bloody, hair matted with ashes, blood and sweat, lips pulled in a bloody, defiant snarl as he weakly struggled to escape his captor's hands, even with him being in such a bad state as he was. His clothes were strange, even for an assassin, but what made Ibiki zero on him was that particular gleam in the man's green eyes. Defiant. Dauntless. The devil-may-care one, and if the captive were free and in good shape… Ibiki had no doubts they would have been the next thing on the man's death list.

He had been pissed off when he got the orders to cease the pursuit of Cookie, but the next moment, he got totally gob smacked that the man they had tortured for so long was allowed to guard the most dangerous secret in the Konohagakure without any qualms on Hokage's part.

And he finally got the man's name. Koizumi Akito. Ibiki sipped a mouthful of tea, reveling in the strong taste as he glanced out at the streets. They were a mite bit less gloomy than before, as the little silvers of light were slowly crawling on the surfaces, but the rain was still going strong.

Koizumi Akito, codename _Himera_. The only Tokubetsu ANBU in history of Konoha, and directly under Hokage's command. His abilities were mostly unknown, but he had some kind of a contract with an unknown beast, called _Thing,_ which had apparently claimed the Forbidden Forest as its territory. He had heard enough horror stories about the place to know it would never be on the Best Neighborhood list, so this…beast had to be a particularly strong monster not only to live in it, but to stake a claim onto it and remain undisputed, if all those… claw marks were correct in telling. Which beget the next question - just what kind of beast was it? Inuzuka trackers also checked the marks, and announced they had never seen anything like it, and that was telling much, what with them being almost indisputable in their field. Ibiki would have been concerned for the little fox brat at this rate - some familiars never got along with the human kids and as it were, they barely tolerated their adult partners. Case in point: snakes. And the scorpions, but this contract was lost, and Hyuugas' held the Hawks' contract, but no one since Hyuuga Hirako managed to get the summon animals to like them, so it was a moot point.

Since the brat was still alive and kicking, Akito's summon somewhat tolerated the blond annoyance. And speaking of Akito…. He was, despite his grouchy attitude, a surprisingly reliable person, taking care of the kid properly even going as far as to threaten the villagers with physical retaliation if they continued their not-harassment of his foxy-cheeked ward. And from what he heard from the Hokage…. Koizumi clan members were bound to their word - if they promised something, it held as if their words were cast iron or gold.

Still, that didn't help Ibiki with his little problem. He had been on a private hunt after the elusive wild-haired male, and as if the luck would have favored him, Koizumi had successfully managed to evade him for a month. It was as if Koizumi had some kind of sensor built in his brain that told him where Ibiki was, and that was driving the Head Interrogator bonkers!

Although, that coupon for all-you-can-eat yakiniku buffet at Akimichi's restaurant, courtesy of Anko, was a good thing. Sometimes it paid off to have a stubborn woman for a subordinate…. Sometimes.

He blinked as a new person passed his line of sight.

It was a male, of an average height - a little bit smaller than average height. The male was clothed in a dark turtleneck pullover with black pants and knee-high boots, along with dark red and black jacket with gray scarf which complimented his feathery dual-toned hair that was currently bound into a messy ponytail.

Ibiki blinked. The man was very similar to Cookie –

And then, he saw the eye patch.

Wait a sec - it _was_ a Cookie! And just what the Hell was the man doing, traipsing carelessly on the street while Ibiki had wasted his sleep and time to chase after him in his free time, huh?

He watched, disbelievingly, as the man stopped at the vegetables vendor, looking through the assorted goodies while bartering for the best price. It was too good to be true. Or rather, it was too idiotic to be true. After mentally scarring the appropriate ANBU squad for their insignificant lives, working around the clock, bugging the Hokage for any information, all the time he had wasted, he should just have sat here, enjoyed his cup of tea and let the man pass him by?

Not a fucking chance.

Ibiki's slender eyebrow twitched.

* * *

Harry was just minding his business, meaning haggling with Yamamoto-san for groceries. The old man was a farmer - grumpy and old and constantly complaining on having sciatica that wouldn't go away or his daughter-in-law or his son - his wife was already dead, and Harry stumbled upon him via Naruto's bratty pranks. Old man Yama, as he asked Harry to call him - only Yama part, the 'old man' Harry added for his own amusement, to see Yamamoto huff and puff in irritation.

"Hell no, Yama-jiji. I won't pay ten ryo for a measly daikon radish!" Harry snapped out. "See, it's dried out, old and wrinkly, just like your ass, so don't try to fool me!"

"You little twerp!" Yamamoto barked back, his bushy silver eyebrows twitching. "I will have you know this radish is the finest quality - if anything, I am letting you rip ME off!" He hacked a little as he stroked his long silvery mustache, as his old eyes narrowed in mock-anger.

Harry tilted his head. "Ripping you off? Old man, have you gone senile or do you just love bad jokes? This daikon radish barely deserves the name - even a cat's dick would be bigger than it!" He barked back, making Yamamoto hack out his pipe in surprise.

"Wha - _cough, cough_ \- My daikon radishes are NOT smaller than cat's dick!" The old man boomed, making the passerby's eye him strangely, before they hurried away from the crazy man. Yamamoto blinked and then, it clicked just what he had roared out.

Harry grinned at the man's half irritated, half-amused face. "You got this round, brat. So the carrots and some spinach…." He huffed and hawed as he moved, wincing. "Ahwoo, my old bones…. I am old, too old for this shit. And you dare to disrespect an old man like me…. Youth these days…."

He mumbled, shaking his gray head disbelievingly. Harry sighed. "Right, I apologize, Yama-jiji. What about ginger cookies and some tea to get these old nerves of yours in order?" He offered back, smiling slightly. Squinty eyes, like those of an old fox, looked at him. "Two batches?" The man inquired craftily, while he expertly bound the daikon radishes in a small bunch.

Harry made an innocent face. "Well, I had three, but if you insist on two – " Yamamoto harrumphed. "I will throw in some vanilla persimmons. Satisfied, you greedy brat?" He grumbled out, peeved.

It was pure chance that Harry found out Yama-jiji was addicted to ginger cookies - it was actually Naruto's fault. The brat was clumsy with one of his pranks, the old man's nose was sharp enough to detect the scent of ginger on the brat, and he managed to catch the kid before he made his escape, dragging the foxy idiot to his caretaker, one Koizumi Akito.

Harry was prepared for the man to launch a lengthy diatribe at him about the fox brat and his annoyances, but instead of that, the man thrust the mentioned fox brat at him and demanded to be given some ginger cookies. (His wife had baked those for him until she died, and his no-good daughter-in-law never did get them exactly as he liked them. And coincidentally, Naruto smelled like cookies which, by the way, he had managed to filch right off of Harry's plate.)

From that meeting with the ginger cookie whore – ahem, Yama-jiji, Harry had been buying most of the groceries here, as the man was not as prejudiced to Naruto's furry little problems as the other villagers were. And it did help that Harry could bake some of the most delicious ginger cookies.

Suddenly, a shadow covered Harry, making him tense and subtly twitch the fingers of his left hand. The old man only looked upward. "Why, good morning, Morino-san." The man greeted, previously warm voice now polite. Harry closed his eye. Of course.

Inhaling the scent of rain and early winter, he turned his head, looking at the looming man, who greeted Yamamoto politely, his gravelly voice a little bit husky from disuse. Then those dark eyes zeroed on him.

* * *

 "So…. Koizumi-san." Ibiki tested the name on his tongue, finding it surprisingly easy to slide off of it, as if it were sluicing water from the fountain. "How do you like Konoha?"

He got a guarded look in return. "Town as any other." Koizumi muttered back as he collected his bags, full of vegetables. "Nothing much has changed."

Privately, Ibiki had to admire the man's gall in pulling off such a nonchalant answer. If he were anyone else, he would no doubt have been duped - but wait, he was. If the stubborn son of a bitch's silence when he had been interrogated, counted. However, he still had Cookie's weapons, and as regretful as it was for him to be parted from them - they were really fascinating - he was honorable enough to return them.

"Hm. You left in my care some of your possessions when you went on that mission. When would you like to collect them?" He asked grudgingly, not missing the reluctantly impressed look in the man's eye. Ibiki blinked. Did the man really think he wouldn't have returned his belongings?

Koizumi stared at him a little more. "Of course. And as soon as possible, please." The one-eyed man responded. "Well, Yama-jiji, I have to be off. Take care and next time you want to sell me daikon radishes at least make sure they are bigger than cat's dick." He teased the vendor, making him spluttered. "Oi! Why, youngsters these days!" Yamamoto harrumphed as he waved his hand mock-threateningly at him. "Be off with ye and teach yer little brat some manners in meantime!"

Ibiki suppressed a small smirk at their baiting of each other. It seemed that Koizumi was well-versed enough to integrate in the daily life of the village…. If he were truly a spy, this kind of proficiency would have been terrifying, and for once, Ibiki was glad that the man besides him was on Konoha's side…. Even if it were only out of the courtesy to the fox brat.

"Care for a spot of tea?" He asked, making the man's head turn to him. Green eyes scrutinized him, and for once, Ibiki felt as if he were a bug under a microscope. He bravely fought not to twiddle, even if he couldn't help himself from shifting once. "I would like to know a little more about your…. mission, if I may."

Inwardly, Harry twitched. _Damn it._ He didn't have a choice. Especially when Ibiki asked him so very…. openly. If he rejected, then his cover would be compromised, but if he agreed, he would put himself in the uncomfortable spot of being interrogated - subtly interrogated, but interrogated nonetheless.

And looking at those impassive dark eyes, the man knew that. "I am afraid most of the details are classified, Morino-san." He replied back. Morino's mouth tilted upward a little. "I know. I am more interested on your…. personal view of the mission." The man rumbled back, making Harry glare at him half-heartedly. Sighing, Harry shifted the bags. "Right. I have half an hour before I have to leave to feed the brat. Lead the way."

Ibiki couldn't help but grin briefly before he once again schooled his face into an impassive mask. "I understand. So, what kind of tea do you like to drink?" Harry glared at him, and just to needle the man more, Ibiki decided to get him to drink his kind of tea. Beginning the day with a small, underhanded kind of torture… Ibiki smirked. All was well with the world.

* * *

 _Well, almost._ Ibiki watched incredulously, as the man sipped the tea nonchalantly, as if he were drinking water. Every other person would have cringed at the searing pain in their brain from the overload of the caffeine it was like jamming ice-cold and at the same time white-hot ice pick straight into the brain. Even Anko avoided that brand of tea…. and with a good reason.

But this… this man either had an inhumanly high tolerance, or he was just a plain monster.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Koizumi asked as he placed the small tea cup back on its plate.

Ibiki shook himself out of his ponderings. Closing his eyes, he sighed. "I wanted to apologize for mislabeling you as an enemy. Be assured the instigators were properly punished." He muttered lowly, but Harry still heard him loud and clear.

Harry sighed. The tea Ibiki had…. recommended, was making him mildly nauseous and he was sure he would have the headache from hell later, but for now, he ignored the stinging feeling in the back of his brain. Sitting here, with Ibiki no less, was not his cup of tea. He was still wary of the man - he knew about him, about his fame as an interrogator, because if nothing else, Harry learned to be very thorough when it came to information about his enemies. Especially intelligent ones who could prove themselves to be difficult in the long run. And even if Ibiki looked a little bit…. Thuggish, what with his brawny body and scars, his eyes held the spark of intelligence that indicated the man was more than a sum of his body and scars.

"I don't hold you responsible." He finally replied, rubbing his temple in an attempt to alleviate the budding pain. That damned drink was more trouble than he had suspected it to be at first. "They couldn't have known, what with my attire and me not having any proper identifications on my person." He replied, looking at the dawning streets briefly before turning his attention back to Ibiki.

"Why?" Ibiki asked, his brows, partially hidden under the head scarf furrowed with confusion. "Why what?" Harry asked back as he shifted into more comfortable position. Damn it, but sitting in _seiza_ position was really doing a number on his knees. And ankles too. And for that matter, his legs were beginning to get itchy from being in the… unnatural pose for so long. "Why did you allow yourself to be tortured?"

Harry stilled.

_Well, damn._

* * *

Ibiki watched as the green-eyed man become still, so very still that he could be mistaken for a human-like sculpture. The single green eye darkened. "I… was betrayed by my allies. They managed to get a jump on me just after I finished the general of the opposite side, slapped me with restriction seals and activated some kind of jutsu that made impossible for me to return."

Ibiki blinked. "So your mission was a failure?" he asked, intrigued. Until now, he didn't detect any lies in the man's story - some omissions, yes, but these were expected, what with the man's mission being S-classed. And even if theoretically Ibiki had high enough clearance to find out the true story, it didn't mean Sarutobi would allow him. As it was, whatever Koizumi's past has been, was between Sandaime-sama, Koizumi and Kami. Ibiki had suspected that Koizumi was more or less a mercenary, what with him being unable to unearth any records that would link Koizumi to Konoha in the past years.

Harry snorted derisively. "However you look at it," he snarked, shrugging carelessly. "The mission was completed - the only thing that could be counted as a failure is me failing to defend myself from them and getting tortured." He huffed out as he absentmindedly watched the dregs in his cup. There was a … hare? Along with an hourglass? Hm…. He never did put any stock into predicting events, even when he had been burdened with the damned thing called prophecy. On a whim, he turned the cup around and here it was. A Hungarian Horntail.

He fought the urge to wince. _Figures._

Ibiki watched the man staring at the cup, then turning it, and promptly wincing. Even if he had concealed the wince, Ibiki, as a master of reading body language, still could see it. "You alright?" he asked, promptly feeling guilty for making the man drink the strongest tea available.

Koizumi slowly inhaled as he closed his eyes. "Not right now." He muttered back curtly. "Now excuse me, I have to go back, got a brat to feed."

Ibiki looked at the clock. "Already?" he asked, taken aback. The clock indicated only twenty minutes had passed since their initial meeting."Indeed." Koizumi replied dryly, as he gingerly stood up, grimacing a little at the pins and needles he undoubtedly felt in his legs. Ibiki could sympathize - but that was only one more puzzle piece to the enigma that was Koizumi Akito.

"So when can I get my things?" he asked, looking at the still sitting head of Interrogation and Torture expectantly, making Ibiki liken him to a curious cat. A cat he was about to give back its claws sometime soon...

"I will send you a messenger bird." Ibiki grunted as he lifted his cup and drank the remnants of the liquid.

Koizumi nodded. "That would be greatly appreciated." He bowed shallowly and then gathered his bags. "Till the next time."

Humming noncommittally, Ibiki watched the man blend into the pale morning; the streets were now, instead of purely dark grey, shaded with its more pale shades, making the man seem like a ghost in red and blackfor some reason. Then, he returned his attention to Koizumi's cup. There, at the bottom, were a comet and leaf.

Ibiki's mouth quirked in a small smirk.

Funny how the man was scared of something as innocent as little comet and leaf…. But to each their own.

He drained his cup slowly, and then gently put it down on the table, calling for the waitress.

It was time to go back to the work, anyway.

However, in the light of the dawn, the dregs in Ibiki's cup slowly swirled and shaped into a mountain and sun.

* * *

Harry trudged back to his house, still contemplating the latest turn of events. While he was satisfied with getting his haul, meeting Ibiki was an unpleasant surprise, even if he had known that he would have met the man sooner than later. At least he was more civil than his foul-mouthed and bloodthirsty apprentice. Wincing, he slowly shook his head as his headache slowly gnawed at the brain.

"Just what the hell does he drink? Horse piss on steroids?" Harry grumbled as he winced once again, now having a roaring headache. He would have loved to massage his temples, but with both of his hands occupied, this was impossible… well, except if he would have partially transformed, but he doubted that suddenly sprouting a tail would go well with the onlookers, especially one of the more… scaly variant. He grimaced.

Speaking of scales… Harry's shoulders slumped. "Did it have to be a dragon again?" He whined to himself as he shuffled across the street, sulking to himself. While Harry wasn't the greatest in tassology - that dubious honor belonged, of all people, to one Ronald Billius Weasley - he had been once upon a time - mildly interested in the subject and briefly read upon it, much to his secret shame. Ergo, when he had his bouts of sleeplessness, he by accident grabbed a book on the subject and begun reading it, just for the kicks of it. It was, if not useful, at least mildly entertaining, and Harry unintentionally learned most of the symbols that were written in the book and their meanings. Much to his horror, he had begun unconsciously interpret the dregs – most of the time his readings were wrong, but for some select signs, he was always, always painfully correct.

And wasn't just Harry's luck that one of those symbols was a dragon?

It didn't help that dragon meant trouble. Well, what else was new? However, Harry was baffled by appearance of a hare. Hourglass, he could understand; it could be loosely interpreted as a time, but a hare? What the fuck did the rabbits ever have with him, with the exception of landing in his pot or in throat of his Animagus' form as a juicy snack?

Green eye narrowed in contemplation. Something was coming…and not in a good sense. But who - or what - represented the hare?

Shaking his head he repressed the urge to groan. One thing was for sure - his life was in no way boring. But right now, he had a brat to feed, so he pushed those kinds of thoughts aside. There was no sense in worrying about things before their time came, anyway.

Harry had been humming to himself as he was washing the dishes, while Naruto dashed off to brush his teeth and grab his school bag. Even if the blonde troublemaker complained he was a big boy already, Harry still insisted on accompanying him to the school and back. It was both for his own enjoyment and to take care of the brat who had somehow managed to steal a small part of Harry's shriveled and war-embittered heart.

Even if the brat was annoying at the times – not even Harry's Spartan training could manage to knock out all of Naruto's penchant for annoying people, the lad was good at heart and just needed someone to give him a chance and rein his… enthusiasm…correctly.

Naruto still had sometimes trouble with _hiragana_ and _katakana_ , but he was making progress, in comparison with how he had been before. And with Harry pounding into his head the worth of having information, the kid's interest in learning the … squigglies… became marginally higher.

Although Harry had a hunch that was also because of some pretty pink-haired girl with green eyes that was in his class. Okay, crushes were alright at that age. But Naruto crushing on someone with pink hair? Harry shook his head incredulously. Well, he may have been a bit prejudiced here, because Tonks also had pink hair, and was one formidable Auror… although she was a complete klutz off the field. And this… little… girl couldn't compare to the goofy young woman that somehow managed to pursue and snatch Remus' heart. He smiled a small smile at the memory of the two of his de-facto godparents - Remus was his sort of a godfather, and Tonks became his godmother by a proxy when she married Remus. He hoped that the two of them had good life together, although he was sorry he couldn't meet their own little bundle of trouble, Teddy. When the pair had found out they were having a kid, they unanimously decided to name Harry godfather, and even if he had been flabbergasted with their decision, Harry was happy to accept the position. Now, when he was in that strange land, via the veil, he was twice as happy he had deigned to write a will for the occasion something had happened to him, bequeathing Tonks with the title of Black Heir and the appropriate monetary budget in the Lupin name. Because of Remus' … furry problem, the pair's future in the post-war wizarding world didn't look out exactly happy, so Harry had taken measures to protect the little family.

Green eye blinking out of the memory-induced daze, Harry slowly rinsed the cups and placed them on the counter to dry. Well, there was no time to mope, he had work to do, and if he knew Naruto –

"Zombie-san! Where did you put my goggles?!" The boy's shout made him groan with exasperation.

Harry rolled his eyes heavenward as he headed to the entrance leisurely.

"Have you checked your head?" He asked sarcastically.

Really, Naruto was _such_ a ditz sometimes.

A yelp later, Naruto thundered to the main entrance, impatiently hopping as he wiggles his left shoe on his right foot, a small sack on his back jumping up and down with his movements.

Harry had to bite back a chuckle at Naruto's puppy-like enthusiasm before he bopped him on the head.

"Ouch!" The blond-haired boy yelped, as he hurriedly rubbed the bumped place, but he still settled on switching the shoes to correct legs. Ah, the joy of little morning rituals. 

* * *

Naruto was practically vibrating with excitement as he was scurrying toward the school. The cause of his… enthusiasm…. was a small pink-haired girl with green eyes.

She was clothed in deep blue with sewn-in triangle patches of white fabric jacket and dark grey trousers. She was a shy little girl with, in Naruto's opinion, prettiest smile in all of the Konoha - no, the world! - and our little fox-boy was determined to have her for his wife someday.

What should we say? Love at first sight, probably.

However, in his… enthusiasm… the young whisker-cheeked kid totally overlooked a small flower of a Hyuuga looking at him and blushing slightly every time she saw the foxy boy's wide grin - which was almost all the time.

Ah, young love.

Harry trailed behind his charge, amused. Even if he was absent from the pre-school madness, his instincts and good knowledge of human nature painted him a very amusing picture every time he delivered to and came for Naruto to the school.

Really, were he and his bunch of fellow lions such an amusing sight at Naruto's age?

He sobered slightly at the question. Probably not. Well, not himself, but for the others - he knew Hermione loved to be practically buried in her books rather than playing with other kids, and for Ron… He didn't know.

And even if he drove Naruto to the brink of exhaustion by his chosen method of training, he let him be a kid…. At least in those little moments, as the time when he would have to take on the adult responsibilities was nearing with each day.

 _"SAKURA-CHAAN!"_ Naruto bellowed, as he ran toward the pinkette, who looked like a deer in lamplights. Harry half-huffed, half-groaned in laughter. Even if he managed to knock out most of Naruto's bullheadedness, when it came to the small slip of a pink girl, Naruto reverted into loud, foolish and annoying version of himself, much to the girl's dismay and other people's amusement.

"Leave her alone, Naruto- _baka!_ " The small blonde girl growled at Naruto, her pale eyes blazing with anger. "Can't you see she doesn't wish to be with you?"

Naruto's demeanor abruptly turned hundred and eighty degrees around. "Shut it! She can decide for herself if she wants to have me as a friend or not. And who asked you, anyway!" he growled, sky-blue eyes sparkling threateningly.

"She told me herself, so _bleh!_ " Ino stuck out her tongue, making Naruto growl to himself. Somehow last week, Ino managed to become Sakura's unofficial protector, even getting so far as to gifting her with a red scarf, which Sakura religiously wore on her head. If Naruto's signature things were his green goggles and the almost obscene amount of orange in his outfit, then Sakura's was her jacket and now the red scarf acting as a bandanna for her pink tresses.

"Well, I am sticking with her!" Naruto volleyed back, making Ino hiss like an enraged cat, much to the dismay of her father.

"Ino-flower…" The tall, ponytailed-man sighed in dismay. He was wearing the standard Jounin uniform with a deep red sleeveless coat over it. His face was a little gaunt from the weathered years, and his eyes were the color of jade - pure jade without any pupils to mar it. He stretched his arm after his unruly daughter who was already in a half-spat with the stubborn fox-boy.

"Same old?" Harry questioned drolly, making the man sigh. "Same old." he acknowledged as his head turned to the one-eyed guardian of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. "Good morning, Koizumi-san."

"Well, nobody could say she isn't devoted to her friends," Harry mused dryly as he nodded to the shinobi. "Yamanaka-san."

Yamanaka Inoichi sighed. Really, he loved his daughter like the precious pearl she was, but he had a feeling that her fiery… attitude wouldn't bode anything good in the future. She was already trying to boss around Chouza's and Shikaku's boys, the tomboy. If his wife were still alive she would have gotten some kicks out of her little fireball's behavior. Already, both Ino and Naruto had a sizable list of offenses written down in their charts, and Inoichi dreaded the following years, when the duo would be paired for missions. Really, Naruto was a good boy, if a little mischievous at times, but it seemed that he lost all his civility brakes when in regard of the little sakura blossom which was now hiding behind Ino's back. His only hope was that Koizumi pounded enough of manners and decorum into his brat's head to at least attempt to heighten their survival rates, if nothing else. After all, Naruto's obsessions were legendary. Ramen, the color orange, Hokage's hat, training and now Sakura. He sighed again.

_Kami help them all._

And to think the little menace wasn't even in puberty yet… He sighed despondently as he went to separate the two little fighters.

"Don't worry," he heard Koizumi's amused voice. "They are at the stage _'She Shiny, She Mine.'_ It will pass… hopefully."

Inoichi felt a new wave of dread engulf his being. "Hopefully?" he asked, his voice tight, as he yanked Ino off of the whisker-cheeked boy, much to the disappointment of onlookers.

Koizumi quirked an eyebrow. "Well… my father saw my mother when they were eleven years old…I am sure you can figure the rest of it yourself."

The pony-tailed man blanched. "So _soon?_ " His question ended in an unmanly squeak. Koizumi nodded nonchalantly as he switched Naruto from his hand under his armpit, much to the young boy's disgruntlement. "Well, yeah. The Koizumis are traditionally inclined to choose very… fiery female companions," he offered mildly, making Inoichi's eyes grow a little larger. "And with the brat being an adopted one…" he trailed off, letting the man draw his own conclusions.

"Oh, hell _no_." Inoichi declared firmly as he also hoisted Ino under his armpit. "Keep your hellion far, far away from my Ino-flower, if you wish to take care of his offspring." He eyed the pouting blue-eyed, whiskered boy as if he were the reincarnation of the greatest Incubus ever living as he edged away from the Koizumi/Uzumaki pair.

" Me and Ino?" Naruto butted in, his eyes wide for a moment before his face was being screwed into a horrified grimace. "Eww, _yuck!"_

Inoichi paused. In that single moment he seemed to be made of stone. "You _brat…_ " His quiet voice carried, warning all the innocent listeners - ahem, bystanders, to immediately vacate premises.

"Are you telling me that my Ino-hime isn't good enough for you?"

 _"Da-ad!_ " Ino's mortified voice didn't exactly stop her father from beginning a glaring match with the impudent kitling.

"Of course not!" Naruto declared imperiously. "Sakura-chan is thousand times prettier than her! And smarter, too!"

Harry faceplamed. "Naruto. Foot. Mouth." He told to his impudent charge flatly.

"And you are a mean bastard," Ino snapped back, making Inoichi gasp with shock.

 _"Ino!_ Language!" he admonished his little jewel.

Ino turned her head up to him cutely. "But daddy, you say it too!" She pouted, making Inoichi flush with mortification. "Why shouldn't I?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest, resembling a very cute human chipmunk what with her puffed out cheeks.

"Ah… Em, uh, well…" Inoichi stuttered. "Petal, this is a grown-up word, and little princesses like you become uglier every time they say it." He tried to get out of that particular trap.

Ino scowled. "I don't want to be pretty! When I grow up I will be a pirate and I'll have the biggest boat ever and ever and my army of trained kittens will be feared worldwide!" She huffed out.

"Trained kittens?" Inoichi asked weakly, while Harry desperately tried to keep an emotionless face on. "But, why?"

Ino snorted. "Well, duh! They are cute and smart and they can catch any mice or rats and nobody would ever suspect them to be my evil army –"

"Hate to break it to ya, Ino, but you are not Evil Overlord material." Naruto interrupted the girl, before puffing up self-importantly. "Besides, toads are the bestest animals ever!"

Ino's leaf green eyes widened with shock. "Not true!" She insisted, growling cutely. "Kittens beat your ugly froggies any day, any time!" She mock-clawed in Naruto's direction. " _Hiss_ … and you are finished." She ended smugly.

Naruto scowled. "Oh, yea? Then why are there no famous cat contracts in –" His mouth was quickly covered by Inoichi's hand.

"Never. Ever. Speak. Those. Blasphemous. Words. Again." The blond hissed to him, discreetly looking around.

Naruto blinked innocently. "But why? It's totally reas-res-resable question!" He pointed out as he freed his mouth from the worn-out hand that covered them.

Harry blinked. "Reasonable, Naruto. It's reasonable." He corrected his charge mildly.

Inoichi shuddered. "Two words: _Tora Army_." He growled under his breath.

Harry only tilted his head. "I think I've heard that name before somewhere," He mused to himself thoughtfully.

Inoichi shook his head pityingly, his long ponytail swishing slightly on his armored, red-clad back. "You'd do well to never question anyone about the C-contract. As in, never, ever." He firmly concluded the debate. "And the lessons are about to begin in five minutes."

Harry blinked owlishly. "Oh, yeah, you're right." He commented, while Naruto yelped with horror as he began to wiggle out of the firm grasp. He had to get to his precious Sakura-chan, damn it!

"Leggo!" The whisker-cheeked boy called out frantically, prompting his caretaker to dump him on the ground.

"Ow! That hurts, you bas -" Naruto bit his tongue as he encountered Inoichi's warning glare.

"See! Naruto can say that word and I am still not allowed to!" Ino called out accusingly, making Inoichi wince once again.

"We'll talk about that later, hime." He ordered her sternly. "Until then, no ugly words, got it!"

Mutinously, Ino nodded, before kissing his cheek. "Okay. Have a nice day, Dad." And then, she was off, briefly sticking tongue at the stewing Naruto.

"Right, I'm off!" Naruto quickly announced, speeding after her and continuing their debate just which animal was better -a kitten or a toad.

The two unsung heroes - ahem, fathers, watched their unruly offspring speeding away with a mixture of fondness, amusement, annoyance and absolute bewilderment.

Inoichi sighed. "They grow up so fast…" he murmured, making Akito chuckle in response. "But my word about you keeping your hellion away from my hime still stands." Inoichi eyed Akito with his most intimidating glare.

"Right, right," Akito waved off the concerned Yamanaka's clan leader carelessly. "By the way, has my order arrived yet?" Inoichi's glare melted off as he cautiously nodded. "Yes. But are you sure you can afford it? Those are some very… rare plants, after all." He cautioned the gray-haired man.

Akito shrugged. " _Maa_ , it's no problem. So, shall we go?" Both of the men mutely decided to try and forget this… unusual conversation that had happened one cold, dreary and wet autumn morning. Some things were better dead and buried… for the peace of their minds. 

* * *

**_/To Be Continued/_ **


	8. Riders On The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own characters of Naruto or Harry Potter, nor the lyrics used.
> 
> Shout Out: Now, this is my Christmas/New Year gift for y'all. Sorry for not updating it sooner, but as stated, Who We Are killed just about any productivity for any of my other writing projects. Additionally, this is unbeta-ed version, because the beta that should've been responsible for editing any grammar and spelling mistakes is absent with no given reason. /cranky/. On the bright side, I've found some pieces for the next chapter, so the story is still kicking. Fire And Ice is pending, the only hold up at the moment is that I have to rewrite some sections for the story to flow easier.
> 
> Warnings: This is my most conversational chapter up to date, because it deals with some pretty heavy themes. Fair warning to you all - I will be writing the story with all the gory details. In my opinion, original Naruto was very heavily edited for the younger viewers, despite it having murder and bloody scenes galore. I am going to write whole nine yards - blood, gore, you name it. When I will be giving warnings at the beginning of the chapters, I ask of you to heed them.
> 
> As for this chapter - graphic descriptions of near-miscarriage and multiple POV's.
> 
> Dictionary:
> 
> juban - inner shirt when wearing kimono, with long sleeves. Usually white, but can be found in other colors too, and used to prevent staining kimono.
> 
> iromuji - a kimono in one color, without any additional embroidery. Usually worn at home, and in olden times, it was commoners' garment when they were working on the fields or at home.
> 
> kimono - a traditional Japanese dress, shape-wise similar to Western bathrobes. There exist different types of kimonos - from the common ones to ones that are worn to formal occasions. Juban is one of the informal ones, for both males and females.
> 
> obi - kimono belt, usually a piece of fabric sewn in a long rectangular shape. Commonly, it's some 0,79 inches wide, and usually reinforced. Obi, worn by women for special occasions are usually wider and richer both in choice of fabric and motif, usually 2,5 inches wide or more. They are also significantly more priced, too. The obi mentioned in this fic is of a common variant.
> 
> yumoji - an undergarment women wear under kimono, function-wise similar to panties. Shape-wise, it could be likened to a sarong with 'ears' sewn on (for tying it together around the waist), and it can be found in a variety of colors. In Japan, it's a social faux pas if you go into the public without wearing anything under kimono, because it's improper, and if you are unused to wearing kimono... well, then, that's too bad /cringes/. Tip: You don't strictly need to wear yumoji when in public if you don't have it, as you can substitute for it with either panties or thong and if you are really desperate, bike shorts.
> 
> kotatsu - a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits, with a heat source underneat the table.
> 
> seiza - "correct sitting", with knees together, back straight and buttocks resting on ankles. Used because of prim and proper posture, but it's about as comfortable as corsets or high heels. In other words - none. In western countries, seiza is practiced in Japanese martial arts dojos as a part of ceremony to begin and end the training session. All I can say on the subject is - ouchies galore, if you are not used to it.
> 
> Tantum respira - (lat.) 'just breathe'. A spell, used to jump-start breathing
> 
> bakemono gaki - 'monster brat'
> 
> aneue - 'big sister'
> 
> anata - 'you', affectionately. Also, 'beloved'
> 
> norimono - Japanese version of palanquin, usually carried by two carriers, one on each side. Used for nobility.
> 
> quipao - A chinese dress (look up Tenten)
> 
> rue - (lat. Ruta graveolens), used for different medicinal properties but most commonly known and used to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Has a very strong and pungent odor. I do NOT recommend taking it without an expert's supervision!

* * *

_Riders on the storm,_

_Riders on the storm_

_Into this house we're born_

_Into this world we're thrown_

_Like a dog without a bone_

_An actor out alone_

_Riders on the storm_

_("Riders On The Storm", by The Doors)_

* * *

Time flew by, and there were more important things to do than worry about the message from the dregs of the tea in an ordinary teacup. For instance, Naruto got into another spat, this time with some puppy kid of Inuzuka's. Harry didn't exactly know what had happened, but it included a misfired prank and the puppy kid startling Naruto falling into his own trap.

Of course, Naruto hadn't taken this lying down, and the end result was two pouty little boys, full of scratches and bruises, who, to top it all off, had stunk to the high heavens. Harry would've been amused, but the beast part of him was not - if anything, the next morning Naruto was mercilessly shooed back to the school, pink-cheeked and in a full sulking mode, grumbling about mean zombies and the evil that was called consecutive baths. Of course, Harry could've cleaned him just as well via one of his spells, but he had decided that Naruto wouldn't have learned anything about his failure if he'd been coddled as such, thus he used scrubbing, soap, hot water and scrubbing again until the boy had begged for mercy. However, even after five very thorough baths the scent still clung faintly to the boy's skin, making him sulk even worse.

The puppy kid, on the other hand, had no such luck and he semi-reeked a week after _'The Stink'_ as the incident was later on called, before the horrible concoction let down on its' potency. The grapevine had said that the Inuzuka's matriarch was very amused at her pup's plight, and used it to show little Kiba as to why was not wise to creep upon the enemy unprepared. But Inuzukas as a whole still bade for Naruto's blood and even petitioned to the Hokage to ban those 'Stink Bombs' of his or at least make it a S-class item because it seriously messed up their noses.

Thus, Inuzukas weren't very happy about Naruto, and consequently, about his guardian. Thankfully, they took the accident as it was meant to be, but one Koizumi Akito still made it on their proverbial shit list, so to speak. Not that Konoha's newest resident gave any licks about their dislike of his person - after all, they didn't have anything on Banshees or Goblins. Banshees were self-explanatory - their screams were similar to the screams of a grown up Mandrake, killing all who heard them. Because of their inherent ability it had been difficult to negotiate with them, but with Luna on their side, the _Bean-sídhe_ sided with them. Funnily enough, they particular doted on one Seamus Finnegan, who was very … _uncomfortable_ with their affections to his person. Goblins, on the other side, only agreed to side with them for a hefty fine and even then, Harry didn't trust the bastards not to go behind his back to Voldemort. Essentially, the Goblins were a third party in the war, what with their economics' might, and he really didn't envy anyone who would have to weather the aftermath of the civil war that seemed to be so long ago. Those poor, poor bastards would have their hands full and Harry was content to leave them with their mess.

Green eye blinked as Harry pondered the latest revelation of his as he was standing in the afternoon sun in front of some or other shop. The people were milling out and about, and he was recipient to some curious glances and outright stares, but nobody dared to disturb him for some reason.

_Served them right._

Was he seriously thinking that? It seemed that not too long ago, he was an angst-ridden and sulky fellow about not being able to return back to his friends and family, however mismatched it was. But now, it seemed that the past faded back a little, and aside from his nightmares every second night or two, he was becoming used to life in that strange country. If he dared to admit, it was a little bit… _liberating_ to not be in charge every second of every day as a leader of the entire Light faction. It had been, Harry admitted, if only to himself, extremely stressful to be responsible for so many people and happenings all at once, even if he had excellent helpers. Aside from him having been tortured, this new life in Konoha was more or less almost boring, if it weren't for a certain fox boy and his antics. He could almost sympathize with Snape and McGonagall, seeing just what kind of chaos could that brat do… on a good day. His strict regime of training the kid was thus serving a two-fold purpose - getting the brat up to the par, so that he could successfully defend himself from anyone wanting him ten feet under - and to Harry's surprise and quickly fading amusement, there were many of people who wanted to do so – and because a tired brat was a brat that caused him the least amount of migraines. Because every time the kid had done something monumentally foolish, his animal side wanted to grab him by the scruff of his neck and shake him until all the bones in the brat's body, big and tiny ones, rattled some sense into his extremely thick skull. Naruto's ledger already almost dripped red from all the slips and bans placed therein to document the brat's misdemeanors.

The greatest enemy at this moment, Harry mused tiredly, were not Inuzukas with their grudge or the brat with his endless stamina and unfortunate penchant for pranks, but migraines that resulted from him being Uzumaki's guardian. Sighing, he rubbed his temple, in an attempt to soothe the pain throbbing within his skull some.

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

He tried not to be angry - anger tended to aggravate the pest within his head something fierce and he resisted the urge to hightail into the forest with all due speed. Apparation wouldn't be recommended in his mental state when there was no one to put him back in one piece if he accidentally Splinched himself.

"Are you alright?" The gentle voice caused him to snap his eye open, and Harry nearly swore aloud at his carelessness.

' _Constant Vigilance!_ ' Moody's voice cackled within his skull, making him barely avoid the resulting flinch it accompanied. His body stiffened, half in fight and half in flight response, making his nerves uncomfortably tense.

In front of him, there was a small, slender, but highly pregnant woman with long, dark purple hair with two bangs framing her delicate face, while the rest of it trailed down her back slightly past her waist. She was clothed in pale lilac _iromuji_ with the dark lilac _juban_. Her skin was pale and smooth, and her lips were curled into a small frown as her pale eyes bore into his face.

Unconsciously, Harry blinked at the strange woman. Hastily, he bowed, careful not to ogle her protruding stomach too much.

In fact, he had a big difficulty not to ogle either her stomach or her eyes. The woman in front of him was pregnant - heavily so – and his beast had a curious obsession with kits... and pregnant women, much to his half-hearted chagrin. He barely held himself back not to purr aloud or nuzzle her stomach, to inhale the aroma of ripe sweetness with a hint of mellow sourness mixed in, like the best treacle ta –

Shaking his head violently, he blinked, forcibly pushing the now yowling beast in the back of his mind. And then, his eyes zeroed on the blank white ones of the woman. "Once again, I apologize." He bowed formally, only for his right shoulder to be grabbed and the next moment, his spine was straightened, making him stare at the faintly frowning woman with bewilderment.

"That won't do, Koizumi-san." The woman spoke, her melodious voice soothing and sweet, like honey of wild bees.

"It won't?" Harry parroted back helplessly, not even thinking about removing the strange woman's fragile hand from his shoulder. In fact, if he were asked how he felt, it would be like some disobedient cub just before he would be picked in his mama lioness' mouth to be unwillingly carried away from mischief. A very discerning and uncomfortable feeling that it was.

"It won't." The woman replied back. "To apologize for your rudeness, you will just have to accompany me to the tea house." A small smile curled on her previously frowning lips, making Harry blink with confusion at the woman's mercurial moods.

"But - !" He tried to oppose, but one stern glance from those white eyes, had him following his happily humming captor to the nearby tea house as sure as if he were lashed to her with unbreakable steel chains.

* * *

Hyuuga Suzume usually wasn't such a nosy-body, but any excuse to escape her overly nosy watchers was a good excuse in her books. Don't get her wrong, she loved her husband and her cute little daughter, but pregnancy wasn't fun in any way, shape or form, and she was fed up with being cooped in the one place for so long. It didn't really help that she had a severe back ache and she had to go to the toilet more often than usual. Walking helped, a little, but if any of her minders caught her…. She shuddered to think just what they would do to her. She wasn't that fond of their sermons, thank you very much!

Her little 'escape' had gone without a hitch - thank heavens for that little gift of eyes - and she was walking happily around Konoha, greeting and talking with people. Of course, she knew what little freedom she had would be gone soon, but she enjoyed the sun rays on her face, the birds flying above her head, the restless, low noise of the market and the bright voices of kids calling out to each other. Smiling, she cupped her stomach fondly.

"You will be out soon enough, little spark," she muttered to the baby within gently. Contrarily to her first pregnancy, the second one was more taxing on her for some reason, and it didn't help the baby in question was very mobile. Usually, Suzume enjoyed her little firework's antics, but with the pain in her back and in her front, it was more or less impossible to stay confined in her room. So a little misdirection and sleight of hand, and hello, freedom.

Frowning, she placed a hand on her chest. She didn't feel well, but at the same time, she didn't want to go back and listen to 'you should have's' of her minders.

And speaking of minders -

She blanched as she spotted one on the corner - Hyuuga Ko. It was only by a sheer dumb luck that Ko-chan, as she teasingly called him, was turned away from her. But anytime now, he could turn around - Suzume wanted to smack her forehead for her stupidity. Nevermind Ko-chan turning around, it was enough that he would activate his Byakugan, and one little sparrow would be promptly carted off back to her ca – ahem, nest.

' _What to do, what to do…'_

Desperately, pale eyes looked around and here he was.

Her savior.

Koizumi Akito.

Letting out a relieved breath, she headed to the frowning man, ready, willing and able to deploy her newest meat shield as soon as possible… in the guise of having tea, of course. There never was enough good tea to go around, really.

She eyed her victim-soon-to-be-turned-savior seriously. Koizumi Akito was a mystery to almost all of Konoha residents. He had one Ibiki Morino up in arms, if the rumors were to be believed, and Kasane, Suzume's best friend and ANBU operative had parted with the pertaining information pertaining the enigma in question willingly enough, when bribed with Suzume's world-renowned _onigiri._

Kasane had said that Ibiki had been hunting Koizumi before being personally halted by Hokage's order for some reason. And of course, Suzume wasn't deaf of hearing not to hear the murmurs of the disgruntled citizens of the _bakemono gaki_ finally getting someone to take care of him. The last bit made her frown for some reason - it wasn't the boy's fault that he was used like a sealing scroll for a kunai, after all - and she disliked how civilians heaped their loss, frustration and anger upon his head. True, he was a bit of a prankster, but it couldn't be helped, what with him being all on his own, and some attention, however negative, sure beat the dismissive you-are-but-an-air attitude most of them adopted when they weren't outright hostile to him.

' _Ooh, the sheer nerve of them…!'_ She fumed. _'If she were here….'_ She shuddered to imagine just what would Naruto-chan's mother done to those fools…

But Koizumi-san forced most of the covert sabotaging to cease, and even if the parents were now coldly civil instead of outright hostile to the boy when they came to pick their progenies from the school, it was a great improvement in the face of what should've been. Naruto-chan was now fed, clothed in warm, size-appropriate clothes and shoes, educated and trained. The training, as far as they knew, consisted mostly out of running around Konoha's wall, but even that was more than any shinobi-raised kids were doing at his age, aside the clan techniques.

Thing was, she was curious. Koizumi Akito was a member of Konoha forces, as denoted by the _hitai-ate_ he wore on his upper arm. But curiously enough, he wasn't carrying the usual heap load of the kunais and shuriken like shinobi were wont to do. Of course, he could've had them hidden somewhere on his own persona, but that kind of seals was hard to get and the current number of seal masters in Konoha, excluding Sarutobi-sama …was exactly zero.

She approached the man, noting with amusement that he was as tall as she, and she wasn't among the tallest ones in the village. He was clad in black cargo pants with well-worn pair of boots. His upper torso was clothed in brown turtleneck, which was additionally covered with deep red and black jacket that was currently open, showing off his trim waist and strangely enough, lack of weapons, aside from the two very ornamental daggers in their sheaths hanging low on his hips. His hair, currently bound in a half-ponytail was white - a curious color, as Koizumi was still in the bloom of his youth, which only added a striking contrast to his face, coupled with one deep green eye, and another covered with simple black eye patch. His hands were encased in fingerless gloves, currently carelessly bunched within his trousers' pockets. The _hitai-ate_ was worn on his left biceps, almost as if in afterthought. In all accounts, he looked like more like some kind of a civilian playing to be a shinobi than a member of Konoha's forces. He seemed to be sightseeing the scenes the village offered in abundance, but a closer look revealed the young man was in deep thoughts, and not pleasant ones.

Suzume moved and spoke even before she knew what she was doing.

"Are you alright?" She asked gently, assuming the pose of a concerned civilian _. 'Ha. Nothing so simple.'_ But Koizumi-san wouldn't know about her being a kunoichi anyhow. It was always a bonus to be underestimated.

Green eye blinked confusedly as her prey looked at her with bewilderment. He opened his mouth, and closed it shut in the same movement. "I am not." He said bluntly. "I was just thinking about some unpleasant things."

Now it was Suzume's turn to be taken aback. She didn't expect of Koizumi-san's… personality to be so very frank. He blinked again, trying very hard not to ogle her, for which Suzume instantly gave him some brownie points.

"Once again, I apologize." He bowed, and Suzume had had enough.

She grabbed his shoulder and forced him to straighten out.

"That won't do, Koizumi-san." She spoke, now even more determined to get to know him. He looked so lost, the poor dear, and Suzume's maternal instincts were blaring full force.

"It won't?" Koizumi-san reiterated, his voice somehow reminding her of an abandoned kitten and Suzume silently inhaled.

' _That does it.'_ Screw being discovered by Ko-chan or anyone else from her legion of minders for that matter, it was time to mother-hen the poor dear something fierce. She ignored the lancing pain in her stomach – it wasn't any different from ones she was suffering for the time, and with some of the tea, they will quieten down quickly enough. Or at least, she hoped they would, anyway.

"It won't." She affirmed, giving him her gentlest, most persuasive smile. "To apologize for your rudeness, you will just have to accompany me to the tea house."

He wanted to oppose, but Suzume glared at him, making him snap his mouth shut and obediently follow her to the _Dancing Cat._

And just in time too, as from the corner of her eye, Suzume had seen Ko-chan rushing toward her to herd her back home.

She breathed a quiet sigh of relief and suppressed a small giggle at his undoubtedly frustrated face as he looked at her back, unable to do anything.

Ko-chan's annoyed face was very cute, after all…

Shame she couldn't tease him more often, though.

* * *

The tea house was surprisingly quiet, and despite it having been built for the suits of common folk, it was quite comfortable. It's flooring and _shoji_ doors was done in bamboo wood, it's beige color complimenting the dark green pillows that were enhanced with barely visible violet and light gray embroidery and with added ikebana and bonsai peppered here and there, it made for a tranquil environment that unconsciously relaxed both of visitors.

Both of them were led in a private room, and a helpful servant helped Suzume to sit down. She hid a grimace at the uncomfortable position of _seiza,_ but she was long used to sitting that way, even if through the pregnancy, it became more and more difficult to keep the position for a longer amounts of time. Wincing slightly at the pain in her back, she gritted her teeth, but she bore uncomfortable sensation with a smile as she looked at her newest vic - ahem, companion, kindly.

They ordered their tea - Suzume opted for chamomile and sage mixture, while Koizumi-san ordered ginger tea. The servant bowed and left them alone in a comfortable silence.

Harry still wondered just why and how exactly was he conned into following that strange woman into another tea house – but maybe it was a tradition in this strange village of theirs?

He could've refused to follow her, but somehow, she managed to convince him to follow her. Harry sighed. Well, at least she didn't ordered that horse-piss of a tea Morino had fooled him with last time. And ginger would at least wake him a little, if nothing else. Still, that scent was here again, like treacle tarts and something indiscernible mixed within. Delicately, he sniffed it, but then, it vanished.

And what was the worst, was that he knew the scent from somewhere… if he could just remember from _where_ –

"I apologize for dragging you with me, Koizumi-san." The woman spoke out, and Harry's eyes zeroed back on her face. She was a gentle beauty, with her pale eyes being the only mark that marred her otherwise perfect face. Harry had to repress a shudder and instead, he concentrated into looking at the imaginary spot between her eyes. He was reminded, all too vividly, of the eyes of blind - _'Luna'_ , his mind whispered to him before he forcibly dispersed mental image.

He blinked. "It is no trouble. May I ask for the reason for this impromptu…. Tea time?" He tilted his head, making the woman blush and hide her mouth behind her hand in embarrassment.

"I just wanted to have some free time." She blurted out. "And you looked sad and I am curious about you – " She interrupted her rambling when she heard Harry's chuckle. Pale cheeks blushed pink as she pouted. "I didn't want Ko-chan to lecture me again!"

"Ko-chan?" Harry asked, amused.

The woman giggled sheepishly. "I love him like a little brother, but he is my cousin, and tasked with protecting me." She wrinkled her nose at the second obligation, half in offense and half in exasperation. "Honestly, it's as if I am unable of defending myself!" She grumbled, crossing her arms on her chest childishly.

It was Harry's turn to laugh, but instead, he gifted her with an amused smirk. In that moment, she reminded him of Fleur so much it was not even funny. She was a spitfire when she was pregnant, too… Poor Bill. Briefly, he wondered if she named any of her kids after flowers like she promised him she would, once upon a time.

"Of course." He humored her. "But you know my name, and I still don't know yours." He hedged, making her emit a small squeak at the remiss in her etiquette.

She opened her mouth to tell him, but was interrupted by opening of the shoji door.

And here he stood, a teenager, exuding enough disapproval and glared that he could power the village for next ten years, Harry mused idly.

"Suzume-sama!" He growled, pale eyes angry as his mouth tightened in disapproval. He was clothed in standard Jounin uniform – green flak jacket with dark blue trousers and long-sleeved turtleneck topped off with closed sandals. His arms were crossed in front of his chest as he was frowning at his charge. "You _know_ you are on a strict bed rest!"

Suzume, as Harry now knew her, pouted. "Oh, but Ko-chan – "

"Don't you _'Ko-chan'_ me, Suzume-aneki!" Ko interrupted her, his voice a little bit louder. "All of the compound is searching for you, and Hiashi-sama is – "

"Ko-chan. _Sit. Down."_ Suzume's previously sheepish face was now sculpted into a mask of a smile that was one of the main weapons of a disgruntled women everywhere.

Amused, Harry watched the 'Ko-chan' gulp with dread as he slowly entered the room and knelt at the free edge of the _kotatsu_.

"I just wanted some time away from my minders." Suzume told him casually. "I know I should've been resting, but I do know my limits. It's me who bears a child, not the elders' council." With each spoken word it seemed that the young man in front of them was cringing within himself - which was a feat, when he was, visually speaking, in a prim and proper _seiza_ position.

Harry's inner beast chuffed with amusement at the sight of alpha female schooling the unruly pup, and Harry himself barely resisted the urge not to snort himself.

"H-Hai, Suzume-sama."

The woman - now known as Suzume - brightened almost immediately at his submission and was it just Harry's imagination, but the room was a lot brighter than before?

Mentally, he shook his head. He would never understand women, strange beings like they -

He froze.

Dark green eye widened minutely.

Iron. Sickly sweet, iron-tinted and with the small hint of a smelly, bitter undertone that could be associated with only one plant.

Harry was no genius herbologist like Neville, but the pieces of this particular jigsaw were placing into a picture frighteningly quickly.

Suzume smiled brightly at her small victory over her cute little cousin, barely managing to contain a scream within when the white-hot pain lanced from her back and around her stomach. While she retained her smile, her hands unconsciously grabbed her stomach as if to alleviate the agony, and she felt her face pale.

Suddenly, she felt light-headed and sick and the pain was now coming in the strong waves - too strong! - she felt her eyes involuntarily close as she swayed, only to be halted by Ko-chan's hands.

"Oh – " she choked out as she attempted to straighten herself out "Ko-chan, I'm alrigh – "

"Suzume-nee!" Ko's distressed call made her smile weakly at him before she cringed again, collapsing against the panicking shinobi.

"Get her out of the _seiza_! Now!" The raspy voice cut through Ko's panic like serrated knife.

"W – What?" He stuttered dumbly as he watched the white-haired shinobi stepping on and over the _kotatsu_ with horrified fascination. "But - !"

"She is in the middle of miscarriage, you fucking idiot. Do as I say!"

* * *

When Hyuuga Ko had woken up this particular morning, he didn't think that this day would be any more different from the previous ones. Train, go to the missions, take care of Kyoko, his little sister, and then visit Suzume-nee to alleviate a little bit of her boredom, despite of her utterly despicable habit of calling him Ko-chan. He was no girl, thank you very much!

But never, ever, not even in his worst nightmare, would he think that he would be forced to witness his big sister miscarrying her baby.

The man's words galvanized him into action causing him to awkwardly shuffle and half-pull, half-drag her body so that her legs weren't hampered by _kotatsu_ , and then, the man was already beside Suzume-nee, gently, but swiftly straightening her legs out while Ko was left with an unenviable position of being Suzume-nee's makeshift support. Gulping, he touched her forehead and found his cool and clammy at the touch.

"Suzu - What the fuck are you _doing!?_ " He yelped out as he averted his gaze from his pseudo-sister's pale face to the man who swiftly untied the obi and was on his way to open the kimono.

The stranger didn't stop his actions, but instead, as soon as he opened the kimono, began bunching Suzume's dark _juban_ up "Kid, if we want to save both her and baby we will have to let her body do its job and support them as much as we can."

"You are speaking nonsense!" Ko barked back, clutching at Suzume's shouders and make her moan with pain in return.

"H-hurts…!" Suzume finally managed to get out, writhing weakly in Ko's hold. Teary eyes looked at the culprit who was currently disrobing her. "And I think my water has just broke."

"No." The man countered her. "There's too much blood to be just water." With one final tug upwards, he revealed her legs and _yumoji_.

And as if in agreement with the man's omnious words, the silky white _yumoji_ wrapped around her hips had a big, ugly dark red splotch in the middle of it.

* * *

Harry saw the youth pale a sickly white at the sight of the woman's undergarment soaked with blood.

His own nose was clotted with the now positively cloying scent of treacle tart and iron and that disgustingly smelly and bitter note, but he didn't have time for that. Quickly, he unwrapped the _yumoji_ and spread her legs.

The sight that greeted him wasn't pretty. Blood and slick were running down her apex and she was already dilated, but not enough.

She was struggling weakly in that Ko brat's hold. "M-my baby?" She asked, moon-pale eyes shining up at him with hope and fear.

"Keep awake. Don't fall asleep. And you, if she tries to fall asleep, even if only for a moment, pinch or slap her!" He barked back at the youth. "The kid's survival depends on whether she will make it or not!"

The woman's eyes sharpened at this tidbit of information before glazing again with pain. _"A-agh!"_

Silently, Harry cursed and slapped his palm on the floor, wordlessly erecting a sound barrier. Right now, he didn't need any intruders or nosy bodies.

"Scream if you have to. Don't worry, nobody will hear." He assured the woman.

Then, he placed his hand on her stomach and forced his magic through her body.

Half-mast pale eyes widened with shock as she arched upward and unconsciously grabbed for Ko's hand as she screamed with shock.

Grimly, Harry nodded to himself and grabbed her hips to hold them down. He had seen that effect often enough not to be spooked by it, but Ko yelped with surprise before he tightened his hold on the woman.

He didn't have many things right now, so he was forced to make do with what he had.

Right now, he didn't have adrenaline to keep the woman awake, so he improvised.

There was blood - so much _blood_ \- and slick - he pressed his hand onto her bulging stomach, choosing not to note tiny, weak flutters beneath his palm in order to concentrate on what to do next.

Because the baby was smaller, the dilation time would be shorter, but time was of essence here – the longer a would-be newborn was in mother's body, the smaller amount of oxygen would become and if what Harry suspected was true, then…

Then the best bet for the little one's survival would be coming into the cold, harsh world as soon as possible.

Exhaling softly, he sent a small prayer to whomever that listened and prepared to wait.

* * *

She didn't know how long it lasted. She only knew that she was placed in Ko's hold and that someone had undressed her lower half. She didn't care who it was – at this point, getting the clothes off was a minor annoyance in the face of the pain that gnawed through her middle.

"M-My baby?" She struggled in Ko-chan's hold as she looked at the one-eyed man with fearful hope. The man didn't look at her, but instead at her little cousin. She closed her eyes for a moment - just a moment, when she heard it.

"The kid's survival depends on whether she will make it or not!"

It jolted her awake and then, she was submerged under pain again. Not even her little sunflower's birth had been so painful…She wanted to scream, so so much -

"Scream if you have to. Don't worry, nobody will hear." Koizumi-san's words were both a relief and confusion. A moment later, he placed his hand on her distended stomach, and then –

Then, it was like someone dunked her into a vat full of adrenaline – ice and fire roared through her veins in a giant wave, giving her a blessed moment of relief and then pain hit.

Her spine bowed and she wasn't even conscious of her opening her mouth and screaming to high heavens, crushing Ko-chan's hand in process.

The energy spun through her veins, and when she wanted to sleep, she was shaken or pinched awake and she was sure she wasn't very ladylike, what with her cursing both males alongside her to hell and back, threatening to castrate them in multiple ways -

But then –

" _PUSH!"_

The command caught her in the middle of the swear, and she glared at the male that dared to interrupt her.

"What the _hell_ do you think I am doing right now!?" She snapped back, her panting shallow and fast.

"Listen, if you want your kid to survive, get to business and push as if depends on your life!" Koizumi-san snapped back, green eye glaring at her ferociously, making her swallow a swear and giving him an impressive glare.

Not that it helped any –

The vice contracted her body and she screamed again, forcing herself to push through the white-hot agony.

For her little spark.

And then, she would castrate that bastard with a rusty kunai.

* * *

Ko was sure that by the time this little adventure would end, he would be permanently deaf. Who would've thought that this mild-mannered, gentle and kind woman could change into screaming, howling and cursing wrathful banshee with Tsunade-like strength in her delicate hand?

His hand throbbed with agony, but he kept his mouth shut. And then, there was a pungent scent of blood and suddenly, the white-haired man barked.

" _PUSH!"_ he commanded to Suzume, making her stop her litany of wrath and focus her ire on his person.

Not that he cared about it much, the bastard – he seriously had to have balls of sheer _steel_ to weather the verbal abuse heaped upon him with such a stoic face.

"What the _hell_ do you think I am doing right now!?" She snapped back at him. Ko cringed.

' _Oh, no. Not good.'_ This was her _'Aneue'_ tone, and anyone in the compound knew better than disobey her when she used _THAT_ particular tone.

But the man - he still didn't know his name, dammit -

"Listen, if you want your kid to survive, get to business and push as if depends on your life!" The man barked at her making Ko flinch at the commanding tone he employed.

And then, her body shuddered and clenched and she emitted a scream, louder than any before.

Ko's own swear of pain was lost in the noise.

"Push, woman! Once more!"

"E-enough – " Suzume gasped her throat raw.

"Don't you _dare_ to slack on my watch! You will damn well give birth to this brat, so stop complaining and _PUSH ALREADY!"_

She bawled. Suzume honest to Kami _bawled_ and Ko swore when he would come home, that he would go to his mother and do a _dogeza_ to apologize for all the troubles he had caused her in his foolish life, starting with his birth.

* * *

There it was. A head. Small, smaller than usual, and so fragile. Harry watched the small being's face - scrunched red and slightly blue, smeared with blood, slick and white muck. When the shoulders were through he gently turned the baby and then, three pushes later, it was finished, and he had in his hands the baby with white and bluish tinted umbilical cord along with the post birth on its heels.

It was a mess.

And the baby was suspiciously silent. The beast within him sent a frisson of unease through his spine.

" _Tantum respira."_ He breathed as he gently pushed the spot on the tiny chest in an approximation of heart massage as he sent a tiny amount of magic zinging through the premature newborn.

His heard thudded a mile per minute as he waited the precious seconds to hear it.

He still had to do the after birth care of the baby's mother, but right now, this little one demanded all of his attention.

' _Breathe. Please.'_ He begged in his mind.

He had lost too many people to afford losing one more.

This tiny little slip of a baby… he didn't know why, but he felt it was very important for it to survive.

Slowly, those small lips opened and then, he heard it.

Weak, but here.

A newborn's cry.

And Harry smiled.

* * *

They all were a mess. Sweaty, bloody, messy mess. But Ko never thought he had been more happier or humbled or completely freaked out like he had been right then.

(Later on, he would deny any and all appearances of tears in this occasion.)

The cushions were crumpled and bloody, he was soaked with sweat and he was sure that the bones in his right hand were broken, while the impromptu doctor himself was covered in blood and afterbirth - he had used his sweater to wipe the newborn with before wrapping it in Suzume's silk scarf before bundling the small being into his jacket for a good measure. Suzume herself was far different from her usually impeccable appearance – her _juban_ was a mess and _iromuji_ were wrinkled and bloody at the bottom of her _iromuji_ , making it seem that a bunch of flowers had bloomed there or a gathering of whimsical, even if strangely colored, clouds.

Suzume, pale as she was, cradled her newborn daughter to her chest, quietly humming to her, radiant smile on her lips. The man had cleaned her with the tea before bundling her in the blanket Ko had procured from his storage scroll.

Ko never considered himself particularly squeamish - in his branch of job he couldn't afford himself to be - but when he saw the afterbirth, he couldn't help but avert his gaze to keep from being violently sick.

His respect of the man skyrocketed as he watched him calmly deal with the after birth and taking care of the exhausted Suzume. If it were him, he knew that he wouldn't have reacted so calmly.

A single green eye caught him in his staring and Ko couldn't help but flush and avert his gaze for a moment before forcing himself to look back into that green eye.

"Thank you for taking care of her." He mumbled and bowed awkwardly, unsure on how to proceed. Any repayment he could think of could never measure to the lives this stranger had just saved with his strange, if at times, crude actions and words.

The white haired man stared at him, not speaking anything, and Ko became nervous.

"Hm. Just take care of them from now on." His voice was scratchy, like a purr of some great feline, Ko noted absentmindedly.

"I didn't get your name. I assure you that you will be greatly compensated for your – "

"Stop it right here, boy. " Ko's mouth snapped shut as he glared at the man. "I didn't do it for a reward or anything similar. Each life is precious, even more so a newborn life. That she lives is the greatest reward for me. " The man growled at him, green eye flashing with ire before alighting with fondness when he looked at the mother-daughter duo. His eye softened a little when he watched the woman cuddling her precious newborn daughter to her bosom carefully, an expression of awe, relief and profound happiness on her sweaty face.

She was still a little bit too pale for Ko's liking, but both her and newborn were alive, which was more than he could've said if the circumstances were different. As if feeling his gaze on her person, she lifted her head from her precious burden and looked at the strange man.

"Thank you, Koizumi-san." She beamed at her unintended obstetrician who only lifted an unimpressed eyebrow.

Ko's eyes widened. So _that_ was the mysterious Koizumi Akito!

"So no castrating me with any rusty spoons or kunai you may happen to find laying around?" He asked dryly, making her blush with embarrassment.

"N-No!" Pale eyed were wide and cheeks flushed with mortification at the memory of her very… foul-mouthed episode.

"Really?" Koizumi asked skeptically as he tilted his head. At her embarrassed nod, he snorted. "Then I will hold you to your word. " Left corner of his lip lifted in a small, half-mocking smirk before he became serious again. "The kid will be alright, and as for you, bed rest at least for a week."

Suzume's outraged intake of air was interrupted as he lifted his hand. "You nearly had a miscarriage and your body right now is still under a heavy amount of stress. So no unnecessary moving around – " Ko nodded emphatically at this –

"- and for the love of all its holy, _don't_ drink any tea with rue if you intend to have a good pregnancy! " He snapped at her, making her blink with confusion.

"Rue?" Ko parroted back, concerned. Koizumi nodded, his face grim. "Yes. At first, I hadn't remembered, but I know this scent. The plant's scent is extremely bitter and pungent, and it's usually to help the body circulation get better and to prevent gathering of water in the body in excess amounts. However…" Dark eyebrows furrowed. "It's also used as a contraceptive and when used in pregnancy, it can cause miscarriage."

Shocked, Ko inhaled sharply while Suzume choked as she gently cradled her precious daughter to her body, as to prevent her disappearance under the man's heavy gaze.

"Whoever was the idiot that made you drink tea made from rue, it should be drawn and quartered." Koizumi growled out, making the newborn squall with discontent at his dark voice.

"Suzume…" Ko whispered to the shaken woman who stared at the man that nodded at her sharply before turning around and striding out of the room, like he just didn't shell shock both of his listeners into speechlessness.

"Wait - !" Ko recovered and he ran after the man, but Koizumi had already vanished somewhere, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Discontent, he returned back to his big sister.

" _Aneue…"_ He murmured to her, pale eyes dark with concern as he watched her stare at her baby, her form somehow smaller and more fragile than before.

And in this moment, Ko swore - whoever had dared to get rid of his precious _aneue_ and her baby, they would pay, and they would pay dearly.

In that moment, the _shoji_ door opened, revealing a portly matron, clad in dark blue kimono with misty grey obi around her stomach. Her eyes were deep brown spots of kindness on her round face with a mouth curled into a seemingly perpetual smile.

"Do you need anythi _\- oh!"_ The elderly matron's eyes widened with shock as she took in sight the pair of shaken Hyuugas, with the woman clutching the newborn to herself gently while the tears of despair were sliding quietly down her pale face.

"Madam?" She gently prodded as she quietly shuffled in the room, carefully avoiding the bloody spots. "I am sorry for your loss – "

"Call my husband." The woman interrupted her, pale eyes vacant as she lifted her head from the newborn's quiet form. She was disheveled, her hair in messy disarray and for a moment, the matron felt a pity for the poor dear, she obviously miscarried and there was no one to help her –

"Call Hyuuga Hiashi. _Now!_ " She barked out, previously blank eyes blazing with fury, making the matron flinch with fear.

"Hyuuga- _dono_ – " The matron interrupted herself - there was no way she would be telling this particular woman that her wish was impossible. " At once, my lady." She bowed hastily, before shuffling out of the room, already pitying the poor soul that would be forced to give the bad news to the Hyuuga Clan Head.

* * *

Hyuuga Hiashi was not a man that could be easily surprised or thrown off his course. As a Clan Head, he always had to take care of the Clan first and his family second. Which rankled him something fierce, especially after that affair with Kumo, when he had to sacrifice Hizashi – had been forced to sacrifice Hizashi - in order not to get another war between the two countries. Konoha was strong, but with Kyuubi's rampage that fateful October night, they had suffered extremely bad losses and war in such moment was both unthinkable and impossible solution, no matter how his honor bayed for the blood of that Kumo scums.

He was already living a half live since then - the twin bond with his brother was one of the things that made him such an excellent leader, as he always knew he had a support in Hizashi, but with that support having been taken away, he became colder, more distant and within himself, more brittle, digging himself into the work with renewed determination, but Hizashi's death was seemingly the last kick, needed to break the until now, barely civil relationships between both Houses. He had seen that – the contempt in those pale eyes of the members of the lower branch, even if the words weren't spoken and the orders were still being carried as promptly as usual.

He tried to be fair, but most of the time he felt as if he were bereft on the sea, clutching on the straws in an effort to try to keep himself above the water. Add in Suzume's pregnancy and her little vanishing act, and he was in a right tizzy.

He loved her wife dearly, but she was a handful and half, driving him up the wall with her impropriety and dislike of being confined at times - scratch that, she disliked to be confined in any way, shape or form, and this last pregnancy was a living hell on his household, what with her sneaking around to escape the compound for an hour or two. And what was more, the foolish woman refused to take along a bodyguard or two! Exasperated, Hiashi pinched the bridge of his nose, as if to stave off the building headache and worry.

He was sitting in his work room, looking over some of the reports for the Hokage, but for the life of him, he couldn't concentrate on the documents.

The room was bland - white _shoji_ walls and door, dark brown wood on the floor and the writing desk of a same color. It could be almost calling the scene a study of contrasts, however drab they were, with the colors used - Hiashi's long dark brown hair was spilling in a smooth wave down his back, almost indiscernible from his _haori,_ and his skin only a shade or two paler than the beige color of his _hakama._ Stern face with strong eyebrows could be almost classically handsome if not for those discerning whites of his eyes. The body was sitting rigidly on the light brown cushion on the floor in the traditional seiza position - unlike other clans, who had long ago adapted to the high desks with accompanying chairs, the Hyuugas were still stubbornly clinging to the tradition, and if that meant long periods of times kneeling in _seiza_ to write the reports, then so be it. Hiashi still remembered Minato and his efforts on appearing polite despite of the uncomfortable pose when he visited him for a talk or _shogi_ match.

"Hiashi-sama! There is a messenger for you!" The servant's call crudely woke him to the reality. With a suppressed sigh, he nodded. "What it is now?" He kept his voice carefully bland, as if not to betray his impatience. No need to kill the messenger, after all.

"It's about Suzume-sama – "

"Send them in!" Hiashi interrupted the servant, glaring at him, making the older man nod hastily as he vanished back to where he came from, presumably to get the messenger.

Hiashi felt his heartbeat quicken, and almost unconsciously, he began mouthing a prayer that everything was alright with her. If he lost her too…. he didn't know what he would do. His already brittle and broken heart couldn't bear it.

Five hours. Five hours since he had been notified of his wife's disappearance, five hours of anxiety and anger and worry. His fingers clenched about the wood of his brush, almost to the breaking point.

And then, the messenger was led in. it was a small, wide-eyed boy, clad in simple dark green _hakama_ with dancing cats printed in black and white on the fabric that was closed with simple black and white checkered _obi._

Pale eyes narrowed and the boy flinched back. "Speak up, boy." Hiashi commanded. The boy's lip quivered. He was barely some five years old by the looks of things, and Hiashi could've been a little bit gentles with him, but right now, he didn't found any patience, or Kami forbid, sympathy for the brat.

"Suzume-sama says that you have to come at once to _Dancing Cat_. And mistress sends her condolences." The brat spoke out, his voice shaky, but thankfully, he didn't stutter.

The brush in Hiashi's hand broke.

* * *

A moment later, there was a beige and brown colored blur running through the streets of Konoha, barely avoiding the passerby's until it slammed into the red and green tea house, revealing one Hyuuga Hiashi, the esteemed leader of Hyuuga clan.

"Where is she?" He barked at the receptionist who quailed under his glare, but after a moment, she stuttered out the number of the room, only to breathe a sigh of relief when the thundercloud in human shape stalked away to the provided location.

Hiashi didn't care about the patrons or servants milling around or straight out jumping out of his way. What was important was his Suzume –

He touched the door, barely avoiding to slamming them open.

The scene in front of his eyes felt as if he were punched in his gut with one of Gai's Special Youthful Punches.

There was blood. Blood and slick, the intermixed scent hanging in the air like a funeral wreath. In front of the woman's form, there was Ko, in his _jyuuken_ stance, ready, willing and able to disembowel anyone with ill intentions or too curious for their own good. As soon as the youth noted that there was no threat, he mutely bowed and stepped aside, moving to silently close the doors Hiashi had failed to close behind him.

And then, there she was.

Suzume.

Her long, beautiful hair was in disarray, and Hiashi could still see the tear tracks on her pale face, and she was cradling the body of their little one , humming a small lullaby, making his heart clench painfully –

And then, she looked up at him, her eyes clear of anguish, curiously calm and vulnerable and determined and this didn't make sense.

"Hiashi." She spoke, and as if commanded, Hiashi moved toward her, before his eyes were caught by a tiny movement of the swaddle in her arms.

His heart, dead for the moment, gave a painful _thud._

_Thud._

_Thud._

"Suzume." He barely managed to speak out, barely daring to believe.

There was a small, gentle smile on her lips.

" _Anata,_ meet your daughter."

_**Thud.** _

And his heart lived again, painful, yet so light that Hiashi felt like he could fly.

He collapsed in front of her on his knees - he didn't care that he was being undignified in front of his clansman, this was what was more important, what would always be more important than his dignity - her and their little spark –

-and the picture in front of his eyes blurred, ever so slowly and annoyingly as he watched the tiny wonder of life in his beloved wife's arms.

Hyuuga Hiashi, the stern, block-faced leader of one of the strongest clans in Konoha, cried.

* * *

"How?" Hiashi asked after he sent Ko out for clean clothes, a medic-nin and _norimono._

His wife smiled at him again, but this smile was more of a grim one than the one filled with relief.

"Sheer dumb luck." Her frank reply made his eyebrow quirk minutely. "I've been feeling unwell and restless, so I snuck out after lunch." Hiashi glared at her for her admission, but he let her continue.

Suzume inhaled as she looked at her daughter. "I was by some of the shops when I spotted Ko-chan. I didn't want to go back yet, so I looked around for some that would act as my companion to the tea house, and as luck would have it, I found one." This time, her smile was more of a feeble thing under Hiashi's increasingly irritated glare.

"Everything had been well, but suddenly, I felt a pain, as if I were squeezed in white hot band around my waist and I think I blacked out a little. " Hiashi paled at her recount, but still he only squeezed her palm, wordlessly telling her to continue.

After a breath, Suzume looked at his face. "Luckily, my guest knew what to do, even if I was less than ladylike when treating him." She murmured, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the memories before got serious once again. "He did something strange, when he placed his hand on my stomach, like sending a jolt of energy through my body. " Slender eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I don't think it was chakra. Not like we know it, at least."

"Whatever he used, I am grateful for it for it kept both of you with me." He murmured but his brain was already wheeling through the possibilities.

"Hiashi. There's one more thing." Her pale eyes looked into his own ones, determined and apprehensive at once, making his body tense in return.

" He says he smelled rue." Hiashi blinked with confusion. But when he opened his mouth to ask, the door slid open to reveal the medic-nin and Ko on the threshold.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes with discontent, but Suzume gave him a look, so he settled down, his face once more an implacable, stony mask, but his insides were another story.

* * *

Mamiya Ringo was a stern, middle-aged woman. Her black hair was already heavily streaked with silver strands, but her beady gray eyes were still as sharp as they were once upon their youth, even if her face was a mass of wrinkles. She was smaller than average, barely reaching to Ko's chest, but her posture made her seem to be greater than life. She was clothed in simple dark green trousers coupled with black boots and knee-length black and gray _quipao_ that was sliced at the sides for better mobility of its owner. Her hair was worn in a practical bun that was held together with two sticks that had each a strand of jade beads dangling down to her shoulders.

She was one of the rare medic-nins that didn't operate in the Konoha Hospital but had their own practice. She healed civilians, but more often than not, her door was opened to the ANBU and _oinin_ that were stubborn or paranoid enough to refuse the service of medical personnel in hospital for different reasons.

"Give me the child." She ordered brusquely, her voice uncommonly deep, almost startling Hiashi from his observations.

"Here, Mamiya-sama." The woman replied respectfully, but the man glared at her, making Ringo snort dismissively at the idiot. Quickly, she strode forward, and took the newborn out of the mother's hands, gently placing it on the table and unwrapping the clothes.

"You, kid. Fetch the warm water." She barked at the other man, who yelped and scurried out, making her sniffle, before she turned her attention to the babe again.

The baby was small - smaller than usual, Ringo noted, as it was common for the little ones born before their time. But this little one was born at least three months premature, making an unease curl in her stomach.

Prematurely born kids were notorious to catch any kind of illness and turn back to the grave they had escaped previously, after all.

This little one had flushed skin, a little bit blue-tinted, but otherwise, as she checked the breathing and heartbeat, seemed to be as healthy as a fish.

Which shouldn't be possible.

She quickly wrapped the babe back to the clothes he was swaddled in when the stupid man number two fetched a basin of warm water. "Close the door, numbskull!" She snapped at him, making him glare at her, but he complied.

She took a small jar from the pouch on her hip and unscrewed it, swiping a small bit of the green paste out of it and dissolving it in the water before checking the temperature. She nodded in approval and unwrapped the infant again and then gently placed it in the water.

The babe's movements became a little bit more energetic, making her smile briefly when she cleaned the little one with gentle swipes of her gnarled hands until the little one was clean and sweet smelling.

Quietly, she got the clean clothes and swaddled the infant within them, taking care to wrap tightly enough for the clothes to be warm around the little newborn yet loose enough not to cause discomfort.

Silently, she handed the little one back to the mother, and when the woman held her baby, she swiftly checked the heart rate on her carotid artery.

The heartbeat was calm and stabile, even if a little too feeble at times.

The eyes were more or less clear, same with the skin. But the scent…. Ringo frowned.

The scent was all wrong.

In her long career as a medic-nin, Ringo had been confronted with many different scents, and even if she was no Inuzuka, she knew enough the scent of a healthy person, be that male or female, kid, teen, grown up or old one, but this scent –

"Where's the afterbirth?" She asked, making the present in the room blink with confusion.

"I… don't know?" The woman replied, hesitant. "He cleaned it after I – "

Ringo bristled. Incompetent males, making muck of the things that didn't concern them! She huffed, murmuring under her breath.

"Tell me everything." She ordered.

* * *

At the end of the story, Mamiya Ringo didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or outright throttle the ones involved in that comedy of errors.

"You are one very, very lucky woman, young lady." She admitted reluctantly, making her tilt her head with confusion.

"Lucky?" The incompetent male number one – the one in _haori_ \- parroted back.

"Yes, _lucky,_ you doofus!" Ringo snapped back, her currently stress-elevated voice almost barking with frustration. She pointed at the _yumoji,_ scowling with frustration at their confused faces. That was why she hated to deal with many people at once. Too much stupidity in one room.

"This – " she jabbed at the dark red spot - "Is a result of internal bleeding, meaning placenta had been separated from the uterine wall and in most of the cases, this means death for both baby and mother. " The three listeners paled chalk white, and she couldn't really fault the young woman clutching her baby to herself a little bit tighter.

"You were forbidden from moving, and with a damned good reason!" She barked at the cringing mother. "Luckily for you, the male in question knew what he was doing – " She grumbled the last word out reluctantly "– and he got both you and the baby through with minimal damage. Makes me wonder just what kind of techniques he used…" She trailed off thoughtfully.

"Mamiya-sama? He also said something about rue –" Ringo swore, making the stupid male number two stumble in the middle of sentence.

"You used _rue_ when you were _pregnant!?"_ She shrieked at the cringing woman who was trying to burrow in her husband's chest.

"I - I didn't!" The young mother protested feebly. "He only said that I shouldn't drink any tea with rue if I intend to have a good pregnancy and that it can be used for miscarriage!"

"And he was damn right!" Ringo spat out, incensed. "Rue is commonly used for inciting the menstrual cycles, if you have irregular ones, but to use rue through the pregnancy it's a pinnacle of stupidity! Whoever had given you the tea made of rue, should've been drawn and quartered immediately! This is an outright abuse of healer's oath because there's no way that any healer worth their salt wouldn't have known the effects of this drug in pregnancy! _You!_ "

She imperiously pointed at the confused Hiashi with her gnarled pointer finger. "From this moment on, I will take care of your miss and the little one – no, I don't care what do you think about this, but if you want both of them to survive in your nest of vipers, you will damn well employ my services!"

The young woman couldn't help but let out a confused and relieved giggle. The medic was like an old war bird of a mother hen.

"Alright?" Hiashi's permission was more of a weak question than a permission of an erstwhile Hyuuga leader.

"Hmph. See that you do." Ringo sniffled disdainfully as she crossed her arms on her chest. Males. Incompetent, the whole lot of them, that they were.

Her eyes zeroed on the young woman once again.

" And you - no moving except for relieving yourself for a week, young lady!"

Ko laughed at Suzume's dismayed face.

After all, there was no worse punishment for Suzume-nee than being confined to a bed for a long time!

For the first time since their settlement in Konoha, the Hyuuga household housed a medic from outside. The cranky middle-aged woman had outright demanded a room near Suzume's , much to Suzume's chagrin and Ko's amusement.

Hiashi was just relieved that both his beloved wife and their newest progeny would be in good hands.

* * *

Mamiya Ringo outright pulled the proverbial reins from the main Hyuuga healer, treating both the woman in question and her apprentices to an epic lecture about their incompetency and the basics that parted a true medic from a quack, and impressing little Hinata in process.

Little Hanabi didn't know the mess she had caused with her early arrival in the world. Instead, the tiny newborn was snoozing the sleep of the righteous, cocooned in warm blankets, half-listening to her mother's lullaby humming against her little body.

One Koizumi Akito had a feast. Or at least, his beast had it.

The afterbirth was yummy, like the best treacle tart ever.

Harry himself just wanted to bang his head against a hard surface. At the rate this little integration of the beast within his psyche was going, he was beginning to think that even a toad would've been better than this little miscreant he was currently housing within his mind.

And then, _it_ happened.

Harry froze.

' _Oh, no.'_

Dammit.

He felt a tiny bond in the back of his mind, a barely-there silver thread, leading from him to the fragile little leveret that was currently snoozing in Hyuuga's compound on her mother's breast.

His beast's eating habits would be the death of him someday.

Still, he couldn't help but smile at the tiny drop of innocence in his blood-washed world, however troublesome it would prove to be.

He just prayed that this tiny rabbit wouldn't be calling him papa in future…

* * *

**_/To Be Continued/_ **


	9. Time Of Your Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto or their characters. I do own this story, though.
> 
> Shout out: Happy belated Easter and...April Fools? /tilts head, amused/, As promised, I am delivering the next chapter of ATHD in all of it's bunny glory. It was supposed to be up some three days after this one, but thanks to mist_shadow, who beta-ed (more like powered through!) the current monster of a chapter here with blitzing speed, it's here, bright, ready, willing and able to be read by y'all. Seventh chapter is still in beta reading and will be switched some days later. The updating for all of the stories will be slower for a time because things at work had picked up the pace, but rest assured - updates may be slow, but they will be coming.
> 
> Warnings: AU-verse, multiple POV's, Harry will be tripping over his beast in one manner or another.
> 
> Dictionary:
> 
> Juban - A thin garment similar to an undershirt. It is worn under the nagajuban.
> 
> Nagajuban - A kimono-shaped robe, similar to Western undershirt, but it's used both as a shirt and undershirt, parting kimono from the body of its' wearer. Usually differently colored to offset the outfit.
> 
> Shoji (doors) - s a door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo.
> 
> Kotatsu - a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself.
> 
> Dattebayo! – Believe it! (Naruto's catchprase)
> 
> leveret - baby rabbit

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own _Harry Potter_ or _Naruto_ or their characters. I do own this story, though.

 _ **Shout out:**_ Happy belated Easter and...April Fools? _/tilts head, amused/,_ As promised, I am delivering the next chapter of ATHD in all of it's bunny glory. It was supposed to be up some three days after this one, but thanks to **_mist_shadow_** , who beta-ed (more like powered through!) the current monster of a chapter here with blitzing speed, it's here, bright, ready, willing and able to be read by y'all. Seventh chapter is still in beta reading and will be switched some days later. The updating for all of the stories will be slower for a time because things at work had picked up the pace, but rest assured - updates may be slow, but they will be coming.

 _ **Warnings:**_ **_AU-verse_** , multiple POV's, Harry will be tripping over his beast in one manner or another.

* * *

_**Dictionary: ** _

_Juban -_ A thin garment similar to an undershirt. It is worn under the _nagajuban._

 _Nagajuban -_ A kimono-shaped robe, similar to Western undershirt, but it's used both as a shirt and undershirt, parting kimono from the body of its' wearer. Usually differently colored to offset the outfit.

 _Shoji (doors) -_ s a door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo.

 _Kotatsu -_ a low, wooden table frame covered by a _futon_ , or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself.

 _Dattebayo! – Believe it!_ (Naruto's catchprase)

 _leveret_ \- baby rabbit

* * *

 _Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road,_  
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.  
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why,  
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.

_("Time Of Your Life," by Green Day)_

* * *

Naruto could be described as many things; a boy, a pariah of the village he lived in for to him unknown reasons; a pranking menace who had a very loud voice; a friendly, dumb and overall, not a very bright kid. Well, not counting his hair and… certain wardrobe choices.

When Zombie-san gave him that jacket, Naruto had immediately fallen in love with the color orange. And no amount of Zombie-san's efforts in getting him to wear some other - sensible - color convinced him otherwise. Zombie-san's eyebrows twitched every time he had looked at that thrice-cursed jacket, but the man let it be – it was Naruto's problem now, not his.

Although, it did make the job of finding the kid easier… and harder at the same time. Easier because no one in this God-forsaken village would willingly wear such a blinding shade of orange; and harder, because it made Zombie-san's eyes involuntarily water if he looked at the terrible monstrosity for too long. Naruto was appropriately contrite at finding out about that little tidbit, but not enough to relinquish the damned orange-colored thing - no matter how many times Zombie-san offered or downright threatened to just change the darned thing's color. On the other hand, it was an excellent way for the kid to train his stealth. Not that he had to do much - shed the jacket, turn it inside out, and voila, seamless blending with the other civilians…. At least, it worked on the civvies, but shinobi were a little harder to confuse that way. Naruto managed anyway, but only on those who didn't have enhanced senses, like Inuzukas and Zombie-san himself had. Aburames didn't care either way, as the boy didn't prank them. However, the others were a fair game, much to the Zombie-san's amusement and dismay.

As always, Naruto was skipping on his way to the school, happily chatting with his guardian who was trudging behind and indulgently listening to the boy's mooning over his chosen love's looks. It seemed that the ball of sunshine was quite smitten with the pink-haired little girl with green eyes, who was listening to the Yamanaka heiress talking about a new book she had read while they were walking ahead of Naruto and Zombie-san.

 _Th-thud!_ Naruto's heartbeat skipped as he listened to her laughter and his cheeks became a little more flushed. She was _so_ cute! She was clothed in dark red skirt and jacket with black winter shoes, green eyes sparkling in the gloomy morning as she was enthusiastically describing something about Shodaime to her indulgent blonde-haired friend.

He gulped as he mentally prepared to introduce himself to the green-eyed beauty.

 _Th-Thud! Th-Thud!_ His heart was hammering beneath his rib cage like a relentless drum, pounding and filling his ears with blood, making him unable to comprehend Zombie-san's question.

* * *

Harry looked on in amusement as the blonde-haired boy stopped his jumping around as he stared at the pink-haired girl, blushing wildly, his cerulean eyes wide with admiration of the little cherry blossom in human guise. Even his question regarding what the boy would like to have for lunch was left unanswered.

"Ah, young love," he muttered to himself sardonically, fondly remembering the better times until everything went up the creek, so to speak.

It had been a source of endless amusement, for Harry, watching his young ward falling for the little sakura blossom; although the girl didn't exactly reciprocate Naruto's feelings, while the boy was clearly besotted with her. He watched Naruto slowly approach the two girls, his cheeks turning a deeper shade of red even as he stammered out something that should have been a cordial greeting. Harry huffed when the little blonde girl beside the little blossom scowled at Naruto instead and then pushed the blushing pinkette behind her back protectively, all the while glaring at the foxy intruder.

It was a par for the course, really. Naruto tried to get the little girl to like him, only for him to be stopped by one ferocious blonde whirlwind of her best friend, Ino Yamanaka. Harry had resigned himself in his role of the bewildered spectator slash amused caretaker pretty early in the game, though that didn't stop one Inoichi Yamanaka from sending him warning glares of _'if-your-spawn-defiles-my-precious-princess-you-are-a-dead-meat'_ variety. Well, maybe Harry shouldn't have told him about the Potters' little mating habit problem. But it wasn't his fault that Potter men were apparently gluttons for punishment in one way or another with choosing their better halves - some of the stories Harry had heard about his mum painted one Lily Evans before she reluctantly consented to being the newest Mrs. Potter in a very scary light.

Because of that, most of the folk back home had thought that one Ginny Weasley would become the next Mrs. Potter. However, much to their dismay, Harry and Ginny both agreed that they were more like unofficial siblings and stuck to that. It drove the few selected individuals - namely one Molly and Ronald Weasley - up their proverbial walls, while others got a fair bit of amusement out of the situation in question. It took a very heated snog with one Blaise Zabini after a successful raid, along with a resounding slap to Ron's face, to get some of the much-needed sense the two non-believers' thick skulls that no, Ginny had no intentions of playing one Harry Potter's better half. Instead, she had very serious designs to become the next Mrs. Zabini.

Harry smiled with repressed amusement when he reminisced on the time he had smugly collected his winnings from both Gred and Forge. The twins had been thoroughly dismayed that their own little sister had managed to dupe them so effectively - they seriously thought there was something between her and one Neville Longbottom, due to the fact Ginny had spent an inordinate amount of time around the shy Gryffindor in question. Of course, Harry had known otherwise, but chose to be mum on the issue just because he could. It wasn't always one had a chance to pull one over the Weasley terrible twosome, after all.

* * *

Currently, Harry's wild hair was now even messier as he didn't bother to cover his head with anything, despite the first snow fall of the season; and the cold wind had done its share of trying to mess the man's tresses further. He was clothed in black pants with his ever faithful boots and his upper body was being shielded by green Jounin armor, while his back was covered with a dark grey cloak. Wearing a cloak instead of a jacket or a coat, like many other people did, was an unusual choice of winter wear, however Konoha citizens attributed Harry's preferences to him being a foreigner. And if some well-meaning old grannies tried to persuade the young, handsome man to wear more…civilized clothes, they were politely rebuffed and offered an explanation that the cloak was a standard wear of the Koizumi's clan. Not that the explanation persuaded them to back down from their attempts any faster.

The tiny snowflakes were falling on the ground here and there, in small clusters riding on the wind currents. Thankfully the roads haven't iced over yet, but the weather was bound to get colder still.

"Koizumi-san?" Harry blinked at the call, his mind swiftly turning back to the present.

"Hyuuga-san," He acknowledged his caller. "What can I do for you today?"

An unnamed Hyuuga clan member bowed to him. "Hiashi-dono and Suzume-sama are inviting you to lunch today, if you are amenable," - the man droned out, his blank face and even paler eyes implacable, as if set in stone. He was clad in dark brown kimono with a beige edge, with dark brown hair gathered in a loose ponytail and a white bandanna covered his forehead, denoting him as a member of the Hyuuga Branch House.

Harry stifled a sigh. Another part of the routine. For some reason the Hyuugas were pretty insistent on getting him to dine with them. He suspected it was Suzume's fault, what with him helping her with the little leveret, but still. Until now, he was pretty successful in finding one excuse or another not to attend, but apparently that Hyuuga bunch were nothing if not persistent. And so it went, day in and day out, a different Hyuuga branch member delivering an invitation of the grateful parents and Harry politely but firmly declining the invitation..

This time, however, Harry had a sinking feeling that it would be easier - not to mention healthier for him - to move the entire Hogwarts castle, than to once again give a negative reply to the expectant human-shaped boulder of a Hyuuga in front of him.

He stifled another sigh. What was with the people of Konoha dragging him into their own business so readily? First that Ibiki fellow - Harry still hadn't forgiven him for that horse-piss excuse of a coffee; then Anko with her bloodthirsty ways. Itachi was more or less tolerable, even if the teenager in question had a mothering streak for some reason, what with him carrying a case of aspirins and offering them to Harry whenever he noticed that the white-haired man developed a particularly bad case of headache. And Inuzuka Tsume, while a tad wild and loud, was a genuinely straightforward person, who ruled her clan with stern, but fair hand.

Hyuuga clan, on the other side, was a whole different ball game. If the Inuzukas were wild, free and honest, then the Hyuugas were cold, stoic and closed-off, causing Harry to liken them to Malfoys, only with darker-shaded hair and creepy, off-white eyes that gave off an illusion of the whole clan being blind as bats. That creepiness was one of the main reasons Harry had been avoiding them. Along with the fact, that if he dipped his toe in that proverbial pond of politics, he would officially paint even bigger target on his back. Not exactly an encouraging incentive in his aim to have a nice, clean and peaceful life.

Reluctantly resigning himself to being a center of attention once again, Harry inclined a curt nod, "Thank you for the invitation. Tell them I will be there and will be bringing Naruto with me."

The Hyuuga clan member opened his mouth to say something, then hesitated and silently bowed instead. "Noted, Koizumi-san. You are expected at two in the afternoon at the gates of the Hyuuga clan compound. Do you need someone to accompany you there?"

Harry's eyebrow twitched at the man's dull voice. Was the drone having some personality too much to ask for?

"No, thank you," He replied curtly. "I am sure Naruto will be a capable guide."

This time, he had a small satisfaction of seeing the Hyuuga cutting him a small glare. It seemed that there was another very interesting back story behind that one… Mentally, Harry made a note to question his wayward charge just what had he done to Hyuugas to warrant such a reaction.

"As you wish." The Hyuuga man's voice was expressionless.

"I do." With that, Harry sketched a borderline rude bow and turned away his eyes already seeking out his errant charge to inform him of the change of plans.

* * *

Suzume didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused at her savior's little evading tactics to her invitations to lunch. At first, she was surprised that Koizumi-san hadn't snapped up a chance to be invited to the Hyuuga compound - she knew many civilians would give their left arm and leg - sometimes quite literally - to be connected to one of the Noble Clans of Konoha, especially if they earned the favor of Clan Head and his spouse. But not Koizumi Akito. In fact, the Branch House members were divided between feeling miffed for being slighted by one lonesome man without any political clout aside from being the Jinchuuriki's caretaker, and feeling gleeful that someone had the balls to outright ignore Hiashi's summons. Suzume knew - a courtesy of Hitomi- that the Branch House had an unofficial betting ring on who would convince the stubborn man to finally cave in and give a positive answer. She was a witness to Hiashi's increasingly irritated, and resigned face with each rejection that came back. Koizumi was a strangely infuriating person - mingling with the Inuzukas and speaking to Inoichi cordially, while religiously avoiding anything dealing with shinobi side of business, aside from Naruto's teachers and Itachi Uchiha.

She suppressed a silent chuckle at Hiashi's pacing through the room. Usually, the Hyuuga Clan leader was much more composed than this, but it seemed that Koizumi had driven him around the bend hard enough for Suzumi to be ready for him to straight up and drag the man himself if. He. Heard. One. More. Rejection. Hiashi may not have looked like it, but he was a passionate man under all that icy Hyuuga veneer and it outright _galled_ him that the Uchiha Heir had more contact with his daughter's savior than him.

It was simply unfair.

She cooed at the small bundle in her lap, fondly looking at her daughter's alert eyes that were now much more aware and focused. The babe was quiet at the moment, thank Kami, because little Hanabi had quite a pair of lungs on her - when she wanted for something, there was no doubt of her demands, a complete opposite to Hinata. Mamiya Ringo, the little firework's Healer, was a godsend in the first days after Hanabi's unexpected and quite troublesome arrival into the world. The old woman also took Hinata under her wing, teaching her the different types of flowers and their healing properties.

The _shoji_ door opened, causing Hiashi to stop his mindless pacing and both he and Suzume looked at the servant kneeling on the floor.

"Satoshi-san?" Suzume inquired, mentally preparing herself for the possibility of Hiashi blowing a gasket.

"Koizumi-sama sends his regards – " Hiashi's face darkened at the quite often heard beginning and Suzume could almost see the vein popping at the side of his face." – and he graciously accepts your invitation."

Suzume blinked. Did she hear it right?

"Satoshi-san, what did you do?" She asked, glancing at Hiashi who was teetering between being smug, angry and just outright wanting to throttle the creator of that auspicious little message they just received.

The stone-faced Branch member was expressionless, but Suzume could read him well enough to see that he was just as bewildered as her beloved husband.

"Nothing different than usual, Suzume-sama. I just extended your gracious invitation."

Hanabi cooed, seemingly aware that something good had happened, prompting Suzume to give her a small, tender smile before she looked back at the uncomfortable servant that was also under Hiashi's extremely focused scrutiny. And really, Suzume had to pity the poor man, because Hiashi's glares were nothing to sneeze at.

"He also said he would come with his charge." Satoshi added carefully, as if he was handing over a stink bomb on the verge of exploding in a diplomatic meeting.

"Oh." Suzume managed to get out, as she blinked with mild surprise.

Yes, _'oh'_. They knew Koizumi-san took care of the orange menace, but this cemented it.

The muscle in Hiashi's jaw twitched, clearly denoting that the man had some very unflattering words on the tip of his tongue, and only his training as a Clan Head and Hyuuga forbid him not to spit out some very colorful expletives.

"He _did?_ " His voice was dangerously mild, causing the poor messenger to quickly nod his head. "And _why,_ pray tell didn't you tell him that his charge wasn't invited along?"

"We were in public and it wouldn't say well of us if I refused him."

Translation: If we refused his charge coming along, we would've outright admitted that we fear Uzumaki's legendary pranking prowess (despite how fearsome it truly is, especially as we have fallen victims to it before). And Hyuugas don't fear anything.

Hiashi gave a sharp nod. "Alright. Get back to your duties," He commanded, causing the servant to slump with relief and close the _shoji_ door.

Only then, did Hyuuga Hiashi, the badass leader of the esteemed Hyuuga Clan, allow himself to slump on the nearby pillow beside his wife who took entirely too much amusement out of witnessing his latest trial. Suzume patted her long-suffering husband on his shoulder comfortingly with her free hand.

"At least you've won our little bet on which day he would capitulate," She consoled him, her lips twitching with suppressed mirth as he sent her an annoyed glare.

Well, even the Main House wasn't completely free of the little sin called gambling.

* * *

He didn't want to go. He really didn't want to go. Heck, he would've loved to undergo one more of Anko's 'loving treatments' than going to that stuffy building and making nice with those… sticks in the mud, so to speak.

Inwardly, Harry made a face at the surprisingly apt description of the Hyuuga clan. He knew he was somewhat biased on the subject, especially because he hadn't met that many Hyuugas yet - aside from Ko, Suzume and the little leveret (that Hyuuga clan head didn't really count) - and wasn't that a depressing thought - so he shouldn't have been thinking ill of them, but they seemed just the kind of bunch that made the prejudices into fact.

Huffing, he shifted the gift basket in his arms grumpily while he followed his little guide through the streets of Konoha, carefully disregarding the eyes that followed their movements. It seemed that his acceptance of Hyuuga's invitation had spread through the masses like a wildfire, and now he was the unlucky recipient of both questioning and envious stares. At least they didn't know just why the Hyuugas had such a sudden interest in him; it was a small mercy, but at this point, Harry would take whatever he could, before shit hit the fan.

Because it was just his kind of luck.

"Do we really _have_ to?" Naruto's whine came to his ears, prompting Harry to look at his charge. The fox-boy was clad in black trousers with his beloved blindingly orange and blue jacket, but at least Harry had convinced him to don a dark blue sweater underneath, citing that they had to be polite toward their hosts and outright blinding them with the attack of orange was not polite; no matter how many times Naruto affirmed that orange color was super-duper awesome. Naruto's feet were clad in a pair of black, ankle-high boots and he looked positively adorable with that huffy look on his face and the cold-red nose digging into the gray scarf he had managed to liberate from Harry. Naruto may be a ball of sunshine and almost endless energy, but if anything, the whisker-cheeked boy hated cold with a passion.

"Yes, we have to." Harry patiently replied back for what seemed the twentieth time in a row. His own ensemble consisted of black boots, same colored trousers and deep brown turtleneck, everything covered with his dark grey cloak. The snowflakes were melding with the white and grey of his hair seamlessly, and partially peppering the shoulders of his cloak. If it weren't for one amused green eye looking out of the pale face, Harry could've been a study on how to wear the blandest colors in existence. The moderately sized gift basket in his hands was full of carefully selected fruits, their vivid colors almost gleaming against the drab background of his cloak.

Huffing, Naruto kicked a pebble. "But it will be long and boring and full of boring stuff!" He complained, pouting further. - "Can't we ditch it and go for ramen?" Big puppy-dog eyes looked at Harry, glistening with hope. Harry could almost see the fox ears on the kit's head, half-folded against Naruto's head at just the cutest angle imaginable. He resisted the urge to ruffle the kid's hair, while his inner beast cooed unashamedly at the kit's attempts to waylay them off their planned course. If fact, Harry's tongue was tingling with the need to give Naruto a tongue-bath, slicking those unruly strands back and clean out the overly sized fox ears of his.

Then, he blinked and the image disappeared, but those big, pleading eyes were still there. Harry had to bite his tongue not to do something monumentally stupid in the middle of the street, like licking the kid's nose in an attempt to soothe him.

Damn animal instincts.

"Want to be a Hokage, then suck it up." He replied shortly. Blue eyes narrowed at him petulantly.

"What does that hafta do with being a Hokage?" Naruto quipped back, peeved.

Harry sighed. For a kid who had such a lofty goal, Naruto was surprisingly clueless just what that kind of position of power entailed in real life.

"Brat, who do you think Hokage is?" He instead asked the kid, who immediately brightened.

"He is the strongest and coolest person in the whole village! And they respect and acknowledge him!" Naruto beamed as he used wild arm gestures to illustrate his point.

"Right, right," Harry nodded with a long-suffering sigh, barely avoiding one of Naruto's more enthusiastic 'air strikes'. "And what do you think a Hokage does?"

Naruto scrunched his nose with confusion. "Protects people and sits at those boring meetings!" He replied, confused. - "And wears that cool awesome hat!" His disposition brightened as he remembered the aforementioned hat, and Harry could practically see the sparkles around the kid. He coughed to cover his laugh. Oh, the innocence of youth.

"Right you are." He instead nodded at his charge who beamed at him, grinning proudly like fox that successfully stole a hen out of the trap-covered house. "But that is just a part of his duties. Think of Hokage like a giant umbrella. To protect everyone, he also has to reach out to everyone. Those 'boring meetings' are one way to reaching out for them. Another way is to visit them – "

"Like he does with me?" Naruto interrupted him. Harry glared at the kid half-heartedly.

"Close, but not quite. The clans are the spokes that help the Hokage's mantle of protection to reach over the entire village. Every once in a while, the Hokage has to visit the clans to check how they are doing, if they are strong enough to uphold their piece of protection."

Naruto tilted his head. "So he checks if they are strong? Like fighting with them and stuff?" He blinked. Harry paused. _'How to explain that one…'_ Mentally, he shook his head.

The gravel was crunching underneath their feet as they walked.

"Not in that way. If he had to fight with everyone to personally check how strong they are, it would be a waste of his time." Harry paused as he gathered his thoughts. "If the clans are the spokes, then the Clan Heads are the tips of those spokes, the ones that enforce Hokage's rules in the clans and take care of protecting the village in his stead. But for that, they have to have a connection to Hokage, and those meetings are that connection. Good connections make for good communication and consequently, relations, thus ensuring the smooth running of the village. If there's no such connection, the Hokage's protection over the village is lacking in some aspect or another."

"But you are not a Hokage." - Naruto pointed out with all the maturity of a six-year old. -"Why do you need to visit those poop-heads?" -Harry coughed with surprise at Naruto's little description of the Hyuuga clan.

 _"_ Naruto! _"_ Harry berated the brat. "That was not polite!"

-"But you didn't say it wasn't true," Naruto slyly pointed out, grinning at his guardian's half-mortified, half aggravated face. He skipped forward before turning around and beginning to walk backward.

"I didn't say _anything,_ period." Harry volleyed back. "Next time, don't insult anyone if you don't have the skills to keep your ass outta the line of fire." _'Look who's talking,'_ His sub consciousness piped up, serving him the images from his younger and stupider years, which Harry swiftly chose to ignore with an ease of long practice. "But in my case, it's a courtesy visit because I did Suzume-san a favor and she wants to thank me."

"Oh. What kind of favor?" Naruto asked, curious. " _Ne, ne_ , did you save her from bandits? Or found something precious to her? Tell me, tell me!" He began bouncing, grinning expectantly like a mischievous baby fox.

"Something like second one," Harry allowed, unwittingly smiling at his bouncing protégé who huffed at him when he found out that he won't find out anything more.

"Oh _c'mooon._ You can't be that mean!" Naruto whined, pouting.

"I am and I can." Harry volleyed back, his amusement rising. "It was a simple thing anyway, so there's no need to brag."

"Awww. But sush- sushi-pension is killing meeee –" Naruto pouted harder, unconsciously activating his puppy dog eyes.

"It's suspension, brat." Harry corrected him, chuckling. "Now shush, I think we're already here."

Blinking owlishly, Naruto turned around and gawked.

Zombie-san was right, they were ten meters away from Hyuuga compound.

"How did you know?" He asked dumbly.

Wordlessly, Harry tipped his head toward the guards in front of the gates. "I am sure if you look hard enough, you will figure it out yourself." He said to the dumbfounded fox kid wryly as he strode forward, the kid scrambling behind him.

* * *

The Hyuuga compound was exactly the way Harry expected it to be – reeking of age, history and stuffiness. It didn't have the air or riches of Malfoy Manor, but it still sprawled over the grounds like an aged beast assembled from wood, clay, paper and glass. It reminded Harry of those old buildings in Japan, only more modernized, but still retaining that unique scent of beeswax, wood and light incense along with fresh laundry and some kind of warmth.

"Hiashi-sama and Suzume-sama are expecting you in the dining room." An elderly Hyuuga woman murmured to him, bowing slightly. She was clad in light gray _nagajuban_ with beige _juban_ that complimented her aged, but still gentle face with a warm, welcoming smile on her lips.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Harry replied, inclining his head. Naruto, on the other hand, was mercifully quiet and sticking behind him like a good kid. Their newest guide nodded and flashed them another smile before proceeding to lead them down the hall to the aforementioned room.

The trek was mercifully devoid of any inhabitants of the house, though Harry's sensitive ears caught faint steps through the rooms and occasional word when they passed a door. He heard Naruto's stumbles behind him - soft and awkward, revealing his inexperience in such matters, while their guide's steps are prim and proper and almost noiseless if not for her hakama brushing against the polished floor.

"Here we are, Koizumi-san." The elderly woman finally stopped at a pair of _shoji_ door. Bowing once again and prompting a bow in return - a composed one from Harry, and hurriedly awkward from Naruto, she slid the door open and stepped in, softly announcing their arrival, before retreating to allow them to step through.

Naruto's eyed were wide. While he had pranked the Hyuugas, he never had the chance to take in his surroundings aside for the bare necessities needed for the prank to be successfully done.

But now when he had time, he _looked._

The house was a majestic creation that weathered through the first beginning of Konoha, with some new buildings added in at a later time. It was big, spacious even and more like a house of ghosts than anything else, what with no one getting in their way when the old lady that had greeted them led them to the dining room. Of course, they had seen a Hyuuga here and there before they entered the Main house, but it was from afar and none had ceased to do their job when the visitors passed them, as if they were unworthy to be talked to.

That kind of attitude kind of irked the young boy, but before they departed from their home, his guardian had sat him down and told him the do's and don'ts of the today's visit. The mere memory made Naruto pout, but with a month's worth of ramen, the food of gods at stake, there was no way for him to lose, believe it! But if there were ghosts, Naruto firmly claimed a right to hightail in outta the creepy house ASAP, without any penalty to his person for his self-preservation instincts. He awkwardly shuffled into the _seiza,_ mimicking his much more graceful guardian.

The Hyuuga Clan Head was clad in his customary _juban_ and _haori_ , pale eyes drilling into the Koizumi with all the subtlety of an anvil falling from the sky. Naruto swallowed. The young boy had been a recipient of many glares through his short life, but Hiashi's was definitely one of the scariest ones, but Zombie-san acted as if he wasn't affected by the least. Instead, the green-eyed man looked into Hiashi's eyes as if he were his equal, not giving an inch of the metaphorical ground on which he stood.

"I am honored to be invited to your house, Hiashi-san, Suzume-san." Harry bowed to the two hosts that sat at the _kotatsu._ "Please accept this little token of gratitude from my humble person." He placed the gift basket in front of him, a single green eye already zeroing on the couple's reactions.

"We are grateful you could find time to accept our invitation." Hiashi's voice was bland and polite, but with a hidden biting edge that would make any lesser person wince with self-recrimination. Harry merely blinked at the soft rebuke and a query hidden in the statement. "And I extend a gratitude for saving my daughter's life." Hiashi ground out at Suzume's sharp glance at his person. Both of them were sitting at the _kotatsu_ , with Suzume cradling a small pink bundle in her lap.

A tense silence pervaded the room and Naruto felt the bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face.

"Oh, for Kami's sake, Hiashi, don't you even start!" Suzume finally exploded, causing Naruto to almost jump out of his skin. - "Koizumi-san has saved your daughter and the least you can do is to show some basic courtesy to him - if not as to someone who saved both me and our baby, then as our honorable guest!"

"Suzume – " Hiashi tried, but the Hyuuga matriarch glared at him, causing him to snap his mouth shut before she looked at Zombie-san and smiled at him a warm smile that made Naruto feel all fuzzy in his tummy.

"Don't mind my husband; he is an overprotective grump who can't express his gratitude in normal manner," She explained, smiling that sun-bright smile of hers at Naruto's guardian again and Naruto didn't know whether he should be grateful to be overlooked, because his cheeks felt suspiciously hot, or irked that this awesome smile was not directed at him.

Surprisingly, Zombie-san wasn't moved by that smile, and Naruto watched incredulously as his guardian only inclined his head, when he moved toward the _kotatsu_ , a half-smirk on his lips. "Ah, of course. I hope you are feeling well?" Both he and Naruto settled themselves at the table, Zombie-san in the traditional _seiza_ , while Naruto inconspicuously tried to get away with sitting on his backside and still looking like a proper young boy.

Suzume beamed at the question. "Of course! Although that forced bed rest wasn't the easiest to abide." A small twitch of her left eyebrow denoted her discomfort with that particular activity - "thanks to you, both I and the little one are owing you our lives, so thank you once again!" She beamed at the small pink bundle in her lap before looking back at Zombie-san.

"You saved the pretty lady's life?" Naruto heard himself blurt out, unintentionally zoning the attention of the people in the room onto his person, and he blushed under the scrutiny, but he stubbornly held his eyes on Zombie-san who was looking mighty uncomfortable at the moment.

"He saved both me and little Hanabi-chan." The pretty lady offered, causing his guardian to emit a small choking sound. Naruto felt his cheeks practically burn under her attention, but he stubbornly persisted. "If it weren't for his intervention we would've been dead."

"Oh…" Naruto trailed off. "Why didn't you say so?" He turned his accusing gaze to Zombie-san, huffing petulantly.

Zombie-san, much to Naruto's irritation, shrugged - and was it just Naruto's imagination, but did his eye gleam red for a moment? "I did what I could, and it was enough to pull them through."

Naruto glared. "But you are a hero!" He insisted, his lip jutting out petulantly as he crossed his arms on his chest sulkily while he huffed with irritation.

"Uzumaki is right." Naruto blinked at the scary Hyuuga man who joined the talk. "Why haven't you told that it was you who helped Suzume deliver Hanabi? Surely you know that people would respect you much more if you did?"

Naruto could feel Zombie-san stiffen beside him, causing him to reflexively tense himself. "Believe it or not, I didn't do that because I wanted to have some kind of a leverage over you." Zombie-san's voice was still polite, but Naruto hoped to any deity that was listening to him, that this sub-zero tone one Koizumi Akito was employing in this moment would never, ever be used against him.

"It's more of a hassle for me to be known for that particular feat than I would like. I am not in the business to pulling miracles out of my ass on command, after all." Naruto choked on at the crude refusal. And Zombie-san had the balls to lecture him about being proper! Cringing, he waited for the inevitable explosion, but to his surprise, there was none.

"But how did you know what to do?" Suzume inquired, trying to get off that particular mine-field of a topic.

Koizumi tilted his head. "I am not a healer, but I did my fair share of on-the-field medical interventions." He explained succinctly. "I've had the misfortune of witnessing one of my allies almost miscarry her child and only by a sheer dumb luck we've managed to keep both her and her child alive."

Gasping, Suzume put a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and regret. "Oh, my. I didn't know that. I apologize for evoking any bad memories."

Harry averted his eyes from the shaken woman to the child in her arms. "It's in the past." He replied gruffly. "And you couldn't have known."

"But still – " Suzume's protest was interrupted by a door opening.

"Excuse me, but the food is done." A nameless female servant said quietly, carrying a pot of soup in the room, with her two helpers behind her.

* * *

The lunch passed in stilted conversations and uncomfortable silence. Harry could see that Naruto dearly wished to hightail out of the room as soon as possible, if his little pouts and grimaces were anything to go by. The food was delicious, even if sometimes a little strange tasting for Harry's tastes, and he mentally sighed with relief when he could place down the chopsticks at the end of the meal. At least he didn't make a fool of himself with handling those infernal contraptions of torture… this time. Naruto had tried to teach him, and the activity was both the boy's source of amusement and Harry's irritation as he awkwardly tried to get used to handling two wooden sticks to pick the small clumps of food with. He still had an occasional accident, but those occasions were mercifully few and far between, even if they could happen at the most random of times, much to his irritation.

Now, they were sitting around the _kotatsu_ , Naruto finally giving up on propriety and sitting with his legs crossed and watching Suzume in a fascinated daze as she cradled the baby in her arms, while both Hiashi and Harry were still in a _seiza_ , much to Harry's silent dismay. However, he didn't let it show - showing a weakness to enemy was a pinnacle of foolishness, like Lucius once said, not useful if you can't get something out of it. Harry wasn't very enthused at the time, but the blond Slytherin's advice had been sound and proved invaluable in numerous scenarios. _'If Lucius ever saw me like this, he would've laughed himself sick.'_ Harry thought sourly.

"You said you hailed from a clan." He blinked at Hiashi's question. It was rather direct for someone as involved in games of politics as Hiashi was, but Harry wasn't fool.

"I did." He volleyed back, his lone eye staring into the pale ones of the Hyuuga leader as he lifted a cup of tea toward his lips. Taking a small sip he swallowed the aromatic liquid and allowed it's warmth to seep down his body before he continued. "The Koizumi clan isn't exactly known because we hold ourselves in the secession from people because of our abilities. We rarely venture out of our lands for the fear of being persecuted or experimented on." Hiashi blinked at the explanation.

"But you came here." Suzume prodded gently, her attention seemingly on the baby.

Harry nodded. "It was … pure dumb luck. I was coming back, having successfully completing the mission for my clan when I was ambushed by some of our enemies. Long story short, I was caught in a backlash of some Fuuinjutsu techniques that had the effect of transporting me to the edge of Forbidden Forest. I somehow managed to get into Konoha and treat my wounds, but luckily, Uzumaki here found me, brought me to his home where he finished treating them." He gave a brief smile to the blushing blonde boy at his side.

It was both a truth and a lie. Harry sighed as he looked at the cup in his hand. Mentally, he reinforced the blocks, much to the disgruntlement of his beast - it didn't like to be caged, and he suppressed a wince at the feeling of claws skating across his brain in retaliation to his actions.

 _/Fool./_ The beast growled in the back of his head, baring all of its teeth at its human consciousness, prompting him to blink as he sent back a reprimanding thwack on its nose in response.

' _Hush, the adults are talking.'_

 _/They prey. You predator._ / The beast growl-purred, a sinful, beckoning sound rattling the walls Harry has hastily erected.

' _Omnivores.'_ Harry agreed.

 _/Herbivores./_ The beast insisted. Harry really ought to think up a name for it, because it was becoming tiresome to call it 'it' or 'he' or 'beast'. _/Baby herbivores./_

Harry resolved to ignore that comment.

"I've never heard of Koizumi clan, though." Hiashi interrupted Harry's mental dialogue with his beast with all the subtlety of letting an anvil fall on someone's head.

"Well. We are a secretive bunch." Harry offered back a bland smile. "I suppose many of other people hadn't either." He drank another mouthful of tea, appreciating the mildly bitter taste on his tongue. He ignored Hiashi's glare, sending a mild smile in retaliation.

"But if you don't mind me asking, what are your abilities?" Suzume queried, shifting the small infant in his arm as the baby began to wake up and whimper with discontent.

Harry studiously ignored the small squirming bundle in the woman's arms. Actually, he avoided staring at that particular bundle as much as he dared without being too rude in process. Much to his dismay, the ears of his inner beast perked with attention.

' _Oh shit.'_ Harry swallowed. This was so not good. Slowly, he inhaled, and at once, knew he had made a mistake. The scents shouldn't have bothered him – Naruto's overly loud one, with ramen and dirt with fresh grass, Hiashi's paper and sandalwood mixed with oolong tea, while Suzume smelled of violets, sushi and baby milk.

And then, there it was. The small bundle struggled, and its scent wafted up to Harry's nose, causing it to twitch imperceptibly. It smelled of baby milk, baby powder and both Suzume and Hiashi, but still had its own scent – a scent of innocence, if there existed anything that could be described as such. Harry wanted to press his nose into it, revel within it -

What a freaking good time for his olfactory senses to go into overdrive.

He licked his lips. "The abilities of our from one person to another. Mainly, we are similar to Inuzukas, what with us having our animal partners, but the partners in question are unique to each person. The partners also lend their strength to us when we are in fight."

_Lie. And truth._

The beast within him butted its massive head against the barrier that separated it from the outside world, fascinated with the little one in Suzume's lap.

"What kind of animal partners do you have, then?" Hiashi prompted, pale eyes trained on Harry's face without blinking once. Lone green eye swiveled up to the Hyuuga clan leader's face.

"It's generally impolite to ask Koizumi clan members about their animal partners." He rebuked the man, his voice still calm.

"But why?" Naruto butted in, blue eyes confused. Harry smiled at his protégé.

"Because they are reflection of our true selves. They show both our good and bad points, at least to a degree. For example, my father's was a buck. As such, he could be characterized as a leader of the pack so to speak, ferocious in protection of our family, while my godfather, as a dog, could be termed very playful and loyal."

"Wow!" Naruto's eyes practically sparkled at the newly gained knowledge, and Harry could almost see the imaginary fox ears perked on his head. "Can you teach me? Pretty please?" The boy pouted for good measure. Absentmindedly, Harry noted that both of the adult Hyuugas were also very interested in his answer.

Smiling regretfully, Harry shook his head. "As much as I would've liked to, no. It's a clan-exclusive skill so it can't be copied." Naruto's mood drooped at hearing that.

"Aww. That _sucks_." He sulked, only to perk back when he thought of something else. "Ne, ne. What is yours then? You haven't shown it to me yet!"

Harry experienced both of his inner beast's offended bristle and happy preen at the same time. It was a strange sensation that almost threw him off kilter, causing him to hurriedly suppress the growling purr in the back of his throat.

_/Impudent whelp./_

"Currently out hunting in Forbidden Forest." He replied, placing the empty cup back on the table. "And no, you will not see him for a foreseeable time. We've only begun our training together, so it's not advisable to introduce you two so soon."

 _/'Never' would be a more apt time frame./_ The beast commented, idly flicking its nonexistent tail. Harry held back an exasperated sigh. For some reason, Itachi was completely okay choice for it, but Naruto was a no-no.

"Boo. You're not fun." Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms on his chest petulantly as he turned his face away from his increasingly amused guardian.

"There were some rumors about some kind of a beast massacring Iron Trees lately. So I assume your partner is the culprit?" Hiashi interjected.

Before Harry could answer, the little wriggling pink bundle decided that it had enough people ignoring it and announced its displeasure with a loud wail, prompting both Harry and Naruto to cringe, and Hiashi wince from the loud sound.

"Shh. Shh, Hanabi-chan, it's alright." Suzume hurried to console the little one, but the baby wailed even louder. Harry studiously avoided looking at the tiny bundle, and instead, he looked somewhere near Suzume's throat hollow, just out of the politeness sake. "Hiashi, dear, can you hold her a little?" Suzume looked at her husband, helplessly, making him blink like a deer in headlight.

"Now?" Hiashi balked. Suzume had none of it. "Yes, now. " She glared at her husband. "She usually calms down when you hold her." She held out her arms offering the baby to Hiashi, causing him to fumble a little. The baby's cries got louder in volume, if that was even possible.

 _/Hold the leveret!/_ The beast's order thundered through Harry's skull, making him wince with the force of it.

' _No!'_ Harry shot back. The still wailing baby was safely transferred to Hiashi's arms, and he had to force himself not to snatch it out of the man's arms.

 _/The leveret is ours!/_ The beast still insisted.

' _Are you trying to create a menagerie?'_ Harry snapped back. _'We already have a kit – '_

_/ - Is yours./ The beast volleyed back._

' _-and a cub – ' Harry tried to keep his temper under lid . He really did._

 _/Is mine – /_ The beast's shameless claim of Itachi was the last straw -

' _-and I have to take care of both of them and you want to add yet another herbivore!'_ Harry's inner explosion caused him to unconsciously pull his lips back and emit a very animal-like sound.

"Are you snarling?" Naruto's innocent question snapped Harry out of his little self-argument with the furry idiot with penchant of adopting baby animals in human guise.

Harry's jaw snapped shut. He flushed under Suzume's and Hiashi's stares. "It's a side effect from bonding with our animal partners?" He feebly tried.

He fidgeted under three stares.

* * *

"Hiashi." Suzume said, still staring at the enigma that was Koizumi Akito. The man in front of her furtively looked from one to another.

"Yes, dear?" Hiashi's answer was automatic as he cradled the still howling baby girl awkwardly.

"Hand Hanabi-chan to Koizumi-san, if you will." She commanded. Sole green eye snapped up, looking at her face.

"Are you crazy?" Koizumi-san snapped at her, his voice low and still sounding closer to an animal's growl than to what a human should sound like. If she had heard it in the dark, Suzume thought absently, she would have mistaken it for a voice of a beast. It was strange for that growly, guttural, almost violent sound to come out from the chest of such a slender, unassuming man.

"Humor me." Suzume's request wasn't so much a request but a demand, an iron clad in velveteen glove. Hiashi looked at Koizumi half-apologetically and half-distrustfully - since the debacle of Hanabi's arrival in the world he was not very keen with handing his little one to anyone outside his very limited circle of trusted people - and right now, Koizumi looked more likely to eat the baby than protect her. Hesistantly, he handed her over "Support her head because her neck is still wea – "

Koizumi shot his a glare for his efforts as he practically snatched the baby out of his arms and cuddled it to himself and…. Was he purring?

Hiashi blinked. He wished he could tell the propriety to take a hike and then pinch himself for all he was worth.

But no, as soon as the little one was in Koizumi's hands, the babe quietened down, looking at the strange face with tear-blurred eyes and the man purr-hummed to her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Wha – " The whisker-cheeked boy didn't have such concerns as he outright gawped at his guardian. "But Zombie-saaan!" He whined, pouting.

"Shush, you." Koizumi commanded gruffly, his eye still glued to the little bundle in his arms, before an odd grimace flashed across his face. Nobody knew for whom the command was intended, but both Naruto and Hanabi calmed down.

To hell with propriety. Hiashi reached to his left tight and pinched himself.

Painfully.

With chakra infused in his fingertips.

Jyuuken wasn't depending only on the finger pokes, but a Hyuuga could also direct chakra to fingertips and then use the said fingertips for the almighty Pinch Of Doom. It was not very well known outside Hyuuga compound because Hyuugas were of course not childish like that, but it was a good method to disrupt the illusions if the situation was a little too delicate for a hand sign. Of course, that kind of pinch hurt like nobody's business and left black - literally black - bruises that hurt a great deal after the pinch had been used. If he remembered right, the record holder for this pinch-bruise had been Hizashi after he found out that Hoshiko was pregnant with Neji.

Holding back an ungentlemanly curse, he looked back at the strange image before him, his tight unmercifully throbbing with pain from the pinch.

Nope. Still there.

Still purring and cuddling to his youngest like some kind of a humanized cat. A giant, humanized cat.

And then, his baby girl giggled.

* * *

Harry's inner beast was in the la-la land. And no matter what Harry had been trying, the beast was almost insensate on the babe's scent of milk, lavender soap and an overall smell distinct to babies everywhere.

 _/Mine. Mine, mine, miiiine…/_ Harry sweatdropped. The damned beast was drunk like it had just taken a dive in a vat of concentrated catnip! And it didn't help that the feelings were strong enough to affect him too – but at least he had enough sense to not spontaneously combust into a furry puddle of goo right then and there because that would be damned hard to explain.

Even the purrs were going in the venue of _'Mine'_ in some way, shape, context or form.

The little leveret cooed at him, the characteristically pale Hyuuga eyes looking at him happily as the small hand waved as if to catch that strange white-silvery stuff on his head.

' _Little leveret.'_ He acknowledged, exasperated, feeling the beast in the back of his mind purr in approval and he got a sense of _'what-took-you-so-long'_ feeling back, which he studiously ignored. Well, if you can't beat 'em then join 'em, right? (Not that it would stop him trying to choke the annoying furball into the submission later.)

He knew he would regret this, but right now, the silvery little bond between the two was bright and warm and good, with the little leveret feeling happy, content and safe – Harry didn't think just how did he knew that, but he just… kid of did.

He inhaled, just to take in more of that scent.

 _/Told ya so./_ The beast sent to him a smug sense of superiority. Inwardly, Harry scowled. Or tried to.

' _You told me nothing.'_ He shot back. _'And tell me precisely why did you have to pick her out of all people? She is just a baby, for heavens' sake!'_

 _/Pack. Baby. Cuddly./_ The beast's answer was firm on the issue. Harry blinked, gob smacked.

' _You… chose her just because you wanted something soft to cuddle?_ ' He queried back, incredulous.

 _/Yes. Pretty squishy.../_ The beast purred louder, and Harry had to fight for his to tongue to stay in his mouth instead of letting it out to lick the baby's powdery soft chubby cheek. He had to bite the tip of his tongue to remind himself that _no,_ licking babies was not acceptable while he was in a human form. The blood filled his mouth and he swallowed it down. The stinging pain throbbed up his tongue to his temporarily baby-insensate brain also returned back a little bit more of the mind faculties previously occupied with his baby-squishy-obsessed beast.

He gave up _. 'Why is she a Pack?'_ Finally, a sensible question. Maybe - and Harry could only pray that he would - he could get some equally reasonable answers in return.

 _/Ours. Saved./_ Two words that made Harry's shoulders slump with defeat.

Of course. _Of-fucking-course._

Because Harry had helped with the levere - Hanabi's - birth, his beast, damn it to Hell and back, misconstrued it as a some kind of a ritual to accept the newest member in their mismatched pack and it didn't help that it somehow managed to steal the placenta and eat it, thus bonding them tighter.

Mammal animals had the practice of eating placenta of their young, both because it was rich with nourishments, especially iron, but also because the predators would have found them via the scent of blood and kill the young they had just birthed scant moments prior. But for magical counterparts this little habit also helped to strengthen the mental bonds between the parents and newborns. Because of this, it was unadvisable to part the kneazle kittens or crup puppies from their mothers before they were weaned off and self-sufficient enough to take care of themselves. The shock of taking them prematurely could literally kill the little ones, and their mothers were also irreversibly damaged, often leading to listlessness, violent attacks and insanity.

And here was Harry, the Animagus whose beast form was foolish and greedy enough to swipe and eat the placenta of a just born baby Harry had just saved mere moments before. The magic shouldn't have worked, but he was Harry-fucking-Potter and of course the impossible just had to happen to him. Harry sighed.

"Hello, leveret." He grumbled to the baby who cooed at him, giggling, not knowing what a mess she and her mommy had caused in Harry's inner world.

"Her name is Hanabi." Suzume's amused voice interrupted his little memory trip. "And because I know you wouldn't accept any reward – "

"Of course not!" Harry interrupted her, glaring at her for a moment before returning her stare to a small one in his arms, once again starting to purr.

"I ask of you to be her godfather."

The rumbling purr abruptly tripped itself into a hacking cough. Harry's eye bugged out as he looked up at the innocently smiling Hyuuga matriarch.

"Wh-aa?" He bleated out. "Are you fucking serious?!" Hiashi's eyebrow twitched at the expletive, while Naruto's already wide blue eyes became even wider with glee at hearing his usually proper guardian cuss in a polite setting. And in front of a Clan Head, no less!

"Yes." Suzume replied, a small gentle smile on her lips, but her eyes were serious, even if a little bit calculating. The hair on the nape of Harry's neck was being raised by the feeling of dread.

"Suzume!" Hiashi objected. Pale eyes looked into another set of pale ones that stared the Hyuuga clan leader down unflinchingly.

"Yes, Hiashi?" A sweet smile - ' _too sweet'_ \- Harry's still shocked mind supplied - and Suzume tilted her head, exposing her lovely throat.

"But you just can't do that!" Hiashi protested, even scowling at the slender woman.

"I can't?" Suzume's voice was mild. "Then what do you suggest we do? Koizumi-san would reject the monetary compensation – "

"Damn right I would!" Harry snapped, scowling. No amount of money was worth of leveret's life, thank you very much!

"- and he is not the sort of person that would brag around about his ties to the Hyuuga clan. And we can't adopt him into the clan either."

Hiashi paled at the last suggestion, causing Naruto to suppress a muffled snicker behind his hand at the sight, only to snap shut when the erstwhile Hyuuga clan leader shot him a look.

"And you can't say he wouldn't protect her with his life, considering he is just about curled around Hanabi-chan and purring at her." Suzume calmly pointed out, but the last part abruptly cut the said purring off, causing the little Hanabi to mewl with disgruntlement.

"I am _not_ purring!" Harry growled out, peeved at this little facet of his Animagus form.

"Look at her." Suzume suggested, and instinctively, Harry looked down. Unbidden, a smile stretched over his face, and there was an unmistakable rumble emitting from his throat and reverberating through his chest.

"You _are_ purring!" Naruto piped up, amused, his eyes gleaming in the soft light like ones of a particularly devious baby fox attempting to bite its parents' tail.

"I am not! I am… Humming! Yes, humming!" Harry's flustered reply didn't convince the fox brat any, if his overly cheery smile was any evidence to what was brewing under his skull.

"Fine, you are humming and you will be a godfather to Hanabi-chan." Suzume concluded, sighing with disappointment.

"Yes, exactly!" Harry nodded, relieved that his manly honor was saved, and then the beast within his mind purred even louder.

 _/Finally. Our leveret./_ The beast growled out, and this time, Harry's jaw dropped in reality. "W-Wait, I didn't agree to this – " He protested, but his disagreement fell on deaf ears.

"But you did." Suzume's serene affirmation was in a direct opposite to a devilish smirk on her face. "If I recall, your words were ' _Yes, exactly.'_ You are not the sort of the man that goes back to his word once its given, are you, Koizumi-san?" She inquired mildly.

Harry's shoulders dropped in unison with Hiashi's as the two men looked at each other in exasperated commiseration common to men everywhere when they are confronted with the conundrum called woman. "Fine. I would be honored to – " He swallowed around the happy purr in his throat "To be a godfather to the levere - um, Hanabi." He eyed the devilish woman, silently peeved at being outsmarted so quickly.

' _You got your squishy. Happy now?'_ He grumbled to his beast.

 _/Very. Can we take it home now?/_ Harry mentally face-palmed.

The leveret in question gurgled with happiness as she finally got her hand on the silver stuff.

Harry winced. For a prematurely born baby, Hanabi had a surprisingly strong grip on his hair and a painful yank to go along with.

"U-Um O-Otousama?" A shy voice sounded from the door, and Harry was almost afraid to look to its owner.

The girl was two year younger than Naruto, a mini-version of Suzume, only shyer, and with her hair cut in bob with two longer bangs on the sides and clad in light purple yukata.

He was right to fear.

 _/Larva./_ The beast's distinctly unflattering remark made Harry bark out a laugh of both relief and despair, causing the room's occupants to look at him with confusion.

Still smiling like a fool, he cuddled Hanabi for the last time before passing it back to Suzume, much to the baby's disgruntlement.

"Ah. Excuse me, but I believe that it's time for Naruto's training." He said, inclining his head good-naturedly. He studiously ignored Naruto's fallen face and the little girl's blushing one.

Suzume made a noise of disappointment while Hiashi nodded in approval. "It's good that you started him young." He agreed as his eyes darted to fidgeting boy before sliding back to Harry's face. "How is he doing?"

Harry tipped his chin forward, humming thoughtfully. He wasn't such a fool as to not see just where the man's question lead, but neither was he an idiot enough to reveal everything.

"He is progressing." He allowed. "The style is a little rough –" He ignored Naruto's indignant squawk of titling their spars of death with such deceptively normal description, "- but he is adapting well."

Hiashi watched Koizumi closely when the man replied to his query. The man was relaxed, almost blasé in his commentary, a total opposite to his ward, who was almost vibrating in his seat with indignation. Wide blue eyes, flushed cheeks and that pout - Koizumi was definitely downplaying whatever regime he had the boy under, but even Hiashi couldn't find fault with the result of the brat heeding his guardian instead of going wildly into the deep like it had been his habit in the past. If nothing else, Uzumaki finally learned the fine art of keeping his tongue behind his teeth when his betters were talking.

He nodded. "Perhaps we could arrange some play dates between our children?" He inquired. Suzume shot him a surprised, yet pleased look, but Hiashi was concentrated at Koizumi.

The man's viridian-colored eye narrowed for an instant, before sliding shut. For a scant moment, there was a tension in his shoulders, before it rippled down his arms and torso in an almost invisible wave before vanishing as if it never existed to begin with.

"I'm not playing with a baby!" Naruto's grumpy voice cut his observations short, causing him to glare at the impudent kitling.

"Naruto." One word and a single stare, and Naruto ducked back, but he still had that stubborn pose of his hands being crossed on his thin chest and blue-eyed glare that reminded Hiashi so painfully of –

"You won't be playing with Hanabi-chan, she is still too little. " Suzume interrupted gently, and Hiashi watched, amused, how the brat's face flushed pink as Suzume smiled at him. "Instead, you would play with Hinata and Neji. Both of them are very lonely and they need some good friends." Suzume smiled that particular smile of hers and Naruto blushed bright red.

"N-No problem. I will be the bestest friend ever, _dattebayo!_ " The boy exclaimed, pinching his hand in the hair as he grinned, causing the mini-Suzume squeak and blush a bright red when he looked at her.

"That is, of course, if Koizumi-san allows it." Hiashi interrupted the blond menace. Immediately, the whisker-cheeked boy turned to his guardian, widening his eyes. "Can we? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Suzume hid her giggles behind her hand delicately, and Hiashi felt a smirk crawling up his face at seeing Koizumi's exasperated glare at his foxy ward.

But that didn't mean he liked Uzumaki any better - especially now when the brat acquired a crush on his wife.

"Of course." Koizumi allowed, bemused at Uzumaki's falling prey to Suzume's charm. "Should they come, we would be delighted. I only ask that you tell me when, so that I can make sure there's nothing in our schedule to interrupt their play-dates."

* * *

When they had left the Hyuuga compound that evening, Harry's beast acquired the rights to its leveret/squishy, Harry acquired another kid to play the minder to and Naruto got a brand new friend and playing partner in the shape of Hyuuga Hinata. Neji was still an unknown, but maybe he could be a good sparring partner to Naruto. At least the play dates would be interesting to observe, what with Naruto's little infatuation with Suzume and the larva's infatuation with the bright fox-child. Harry shook his head. Maybe his beast was having too much influence on him, if he thought of people he knew in their beast-given nicknames first and their actual names second. But at least he narrowly avoided adopting yet another herbivore.

He suppressed a wince at the memory of his little outburst at the beast. _'Yet another herbivore',_ indeed. Nevermind that both Itachi and Naruto were classified as carnivores, as noted by both of their respective beast-nicknames and, for now, the only members of the mix-matched pack he was beginning to build in the strange country he had found himself in. It boggled his mind that the beast even deigned to adopt something as weak as a baby - Itachi, he understood, as the young boy was dangerous enough to warrant his attention, and Naruto was both troublesome and unpredictable for it to be interesting, and even amusing to keep an eye on the brat, but Hanabi wasn't anyone truly dangerous, what with her having to depend on her parents and caretakers to tend to her needs as babies are won't to do.

"I don't want another one." His half-complaint and half-plea was snatched by the evening breeze and dancing away on the tiny snowflakes that drifted lazily from the darkening sky.

"You don't want another what?" Naruto's voice cut into his stream of thoughts. Harry looked at Naruto. The brat was once again bundled into his eyesore of an orange jacket and hogging Harry's scarf with his hands being tucked deeply in the jacket's pockets.

Harry sighed. "Another brat." He elaborated. Naruto looked up at him with flinty eyes. "Why?" His voice was curious, even if a bit vulnerable if someone had a sharp ear to hear that undertone.

Harry focused himself on watching the dance of the warm light from the windows on the street. "It's not you. It's my beast." He began.

Naruto blinked at him, a tiny silver of hurt being replaced by curiosity. "What kinda beast? Like toad?" His innocent question made Harry shudder.

"Gods, _no_. How did you ever get that idea?" He asked, horrified.

"But toads are the bestest animals, _dattebayo!"_ Naruto pouted, looking like dissatisfied baby fox. "They were Yondaime's suh-moons and they helped kill Kyuubi!" He darted in the front of his guardian and began walking backward, firmly keeping his eyes on Zombie-san's face.

"Summons, Naruto." Harry corrected his ward, exasperated. "And no, we didn't have toad summons." _'This is just as well, as toads are the most useless pets ever.'_ He thought to himself. "And no, I won't tell you anything about my partner."

"Then it just ain't awesome like toads are!" Naruto volleyed back, causing Harry's single eye to narrow.

' _Why that little - !'_ Still, the corner of his mouth twitched at the brat's attempt to weasel out what his beast form was. For a moment, he contemplated changing into it and scaring the bejesus out of the cheeky punk, but he binned the idea as soon as it came. No need to give the kid a premature heart attack, after all.

"You know the one saying in my country, brat?" He asked conversationally, causing Naruto to eye him with dread. "Never assume."

Naruto's only reply was him smugly sticking his tongue out at him.

"Just for that, additional three laps around Konoha." Harry smirked at the dismayed expression on Naruto's face before he ran forward, leaving the spluttering boy behind.

"Wait! No! Hey, that's mean! _OI!_ "

Chuckling, Harry sped up, leading to their usual jogging trail, with Naruto huffing and complaining all the way right at the back of his heels as they sped past a cloaked form trudging in the opposite direction, the dark glasses under the cowl glinting before the person ducked it's head and continued on its way.

* * *

_**/To Be Continued/** _


End file.
